The 5th Rushan (International) Oyster Culture Festival was held on Jan 11, gathering tourists from all over the country in Rushan, Shandong province. 

The Rushan oyster, which is famous around the world, was front and center during the event.

The Rushan oyster is expanding into international markets at an increasing rate. In 2019, the Rushan municipal Party committee and Rushan municipal government have stepped up efforts to sell the Rushan oyster in international markets by cooperating with world-class platforms and signing a framework agreement on the high-end development of the oyster industry with the World Oyster Society.

More than 300 experts and scholars from places like China, South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom attended the Rushan Introduction and Marketing Event of the 8th International Oyster Proseminar.

By the end of last year, oysters were being cultivated over an area of 200,000 mu (1,3333.33 hectares) in Rushan, achieving an annual output of 300,000 tons and an output value of 2.4 billion yuan ($347 million), ranking first among county-level units in China.

But this achievement did not come easily. In the past, oyster cultivation has followed a model of "sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn", and oyster mortality was high, so production was inconsistent. 

In recent years, under the guidance of the "maritime power" strategy, which focuses on expanding and strengthening the oyster industry, Rushan has begun developing an oyster industrial chain including breeding, cultivating, processing, selling, cultural tourism, waste recycling, and more. 

This has strengthened scientific and technological innovation and promoted industrial integration, bringing the city closer to achieving its goal of becoming "China's Oyster Industry Center".

The Rushan oyster leads the oyster industry in many ways. For example, it has established the first quality and safety traceability system for oysters; it has introduced a "wind hazard index insurance for oyster cultivation" to reduce pressure on farmers; and it has established standards for the oyster industry in China.

Since 2016, Rushan has held many industry conferences, including the "Marine Economic Forum" and "Summit Dialogue of China's Oyster Industry", promoting the internationalization of the Rushan oyster.

In 2018, the city held the first "International Summit Forum of the Oyster Industry of China (Rushan)", attracting more than 200 marine experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs from China and abroad to Rushan, which is now the permanent site of the conference.

In 2019, Sen Shengyi, president of the World Oyster Society, visited some locations involved in the Rushan oyster industrial chain, and said that the Rushan oyster can definitely succeed in international markets due to its ecofriendly industrial chain and nutritious nature.

With the help of the Institute of Oceanology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Rushan municipal government was able to establish the China Oyster (Rushan) Industry Research Institute, and invited Zhang Guofan, chief scientist of the National Shellfish Industry Technology System, to serve as its first dean.

The new institute is involved in projects, policies, and finance, and brings talent and technology together. It has a service platform for innovation and entrepreneurship that supports the development of modern industries.

Since 2014, with the support of the government, the Rushan Oyster Association has organized several oyster culture festivals revolving around the Rushan oyster.

It has been reported that Rushan is now receiving guidance from international think tanks to carry out international industry-university-research cooperation involving the oyster industry chain, which includes breeding, raising, research and development, cultivation fishing, storage, transportation, processing, sales, and consumption.

It is also working to develop the brand "Rushan oyster", and is build a modern marine ecological pasture with an area of one million mu with the goal of giving the Rushan oyster and international presence.