In Boxing county, Shandong province, vast stretches of once-barren saline-alkaline land have been transformed into a thriving modern aquaculture base. Through coordinated development of low-lying areas along the Yellow River, the county has turned ecological challenges into economic opportunities.

In recent years, Boxing has accelerated the large-scale conversion of these unproductive lands, built standardized ponds, industrial aquaculture facilities, and supported infrastructure including water conservancy systems, roads and power supply networks to establish integrated modern fisheries zones.

A pioneer in this effort, Qiaozhuang town began experimenting with shrimp farming as early as 2001. By mixing Yellow River water with local saline groundwater, farmers gradually adapted the shrimp to the local conditions.

"Our village sits on reclaimed coastal land which is highly saline, where only weeds grew and crops barely survived. We were once known for poverty," said Song Chun, Party secretary of Wangping village in Qiaozhuang.

"Now, nearly every household raises shrimp, and lives have improved dramatically," he said.

Over the past two decades, Qiaozhuang has established a complete industrial chain from seedling acclimation, feed supply, and disease control to cold storage, processing, and sales.

"On average, each household in our village manages two or three shrimp ponds, with annual earnings exceeding 100,000 yuan ($14,055)," Song added.

The town continues to innovate. It has introduced an intelligent recirculating aquaculture system that automates feeding, waste removal, and harvesting. An online water-quality monitoring system tracks key indicators, such as water temperature and dissolved oxygen in real time, ensuring a healthy aquatic environment.

Today, Qiaozhuang boasts 38,000 mu (about 2,533 hectares) of shrimp ponds, generating an average annual income of 17,000 yuan per mu, according to statistics from the town government.

Wang Jingdong, deputy director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, highlighted the provincial strategy: "We adhere to a coordinated approach that balances grain, economic crops, and forage production, while promoting agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries in parallel. By developing distinctive saline-alkaline agriculture, we are turning a 'barren crust' into 'golden nuggets'."

Gao Xiaolu contributed to this story.