Construction of the "Three-integration" Rolling Development Mode in the Urban-rural Fringe from the Perspective of Thematic Business Engine: A Case Study of "Zhucheng Dinosaur Eco-city" in Shandong Province

Yanhong GE, Ruhui MA, Ruirui DUAN, Yaxu CHEN, Shuai SHANG

College of City Construction, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China

Abstract Starting from the transformation and upgrading of traditional culture, the optimization and development of traditional industries, and the innovation of traditional models, this paper used cultural entrepreneurship to trigger the thematic business engine, and explored Zhucheng City with its unique dinosaur culture. It proposed "Three-integration" rolling development mode to build Zhucheng into a new highland of cultural entrepreneurship and create new competitiveness under the background of agricultural and rural modernization development. This paper also explored from the perspective of multi-subject collaboration of cultural entrepreneurship. Government needs to establish rolling development pilot projects and promote their application; enterprises need to play the engine role of thematic business through the mode of "getting larger to help smaller ones"; the masses need to pay attention to the reaction of culture to the economy, so as to promote the wave of high-level promotion of cultural inheritance and urban-rural integration.

Key words Management science, Cultural entrepreneurship, Thematic business engine, Dinosaur eco-city, Zhucheng City

1 Introduction

It has become an important means of mutual empowerment between culture and tourism industry in the new era, and has also injected new vitality into the development of tourism. However, in this process, the phenomenon of lagging planning of scenic spots is common. Therefore, the research on cultural entrepreneurship driving rural revitalization needs to be deepened. In this context, how to develop urban-rural fringe industries based on local characteristics and strategic opportunities is of great significance to promote urban-rural integration, narrow the gap between urban and rural areas, promote the transformation of county economy, and better meet the growing needs of the people for a better life.

In this paper, taking "Zhucheng Dinosaur Eco-city" as an example, we explored the "culture plus" mode in Zhucheng area of Shandong Province. Our team collected and analyzed the information through literature review, and summarized the problems and new research ideas through field and questionnaire survey. Through the SWOT analysis of the "three-integration" rolling development mode based on thematic business engine, we further analyzed the details and feasibility of the mode construction idea, so as to provide a universal development mode for urban-rural fringe.

2 Research status at home and abroad

At present, there are many studies on the development of urban-rural fringe at home and abroad, and many conclusions and suggestions have been drawn, and relevant departments have also made efforts for the development of urban-rural fringe, but it has always been difficult to achieve results, and the problem is just solved on the surface not at the root, especially some areas with characteristic culture have not been fully developed, and even caused a waste of resources. From a legal point of view, theLawofthePeople’sRepublicofChinaonthePromotionofRuralRevitalizationhas played a certain role in promoting the development of urban-rural fringe, and there are also relevant local laws and regulations[1]. From an economic point of view, in 2022, the research report of the Marxist School of Henan Institute of Science and Technology pointed out: "Rural tourism is a sunrise industry that accelerates the pace of poverty alleviation and prosperity of farmers, promotes the construction of a modern agricultural economic system, and effectively enhances the spiritual outlook of farmers." In 2018, the Beibu Gulf Marine Culture Research Center of Qinzhou University pointed out: "How to reflect and apply in economic construction and development, and promote local economic development; How local economic development can promote the protection and inheritance of traditional culture is a contradiction to be resolved by developing and utilizing traditional culture". From a cultural point of view, Martina Kalamarova (2015) held that cultural heritage is a carrier of cultural and economic values, and local authorities need to provide the most effective support for the protection of local cultural heritage.

3 Overview of the study area

3.1 Industrial environmentThe industrial characteristics of Zhucheng City are obvious, the industrial cluster has begun to take shape, and some leading enterprises have begun to realize the servitization of manufacturing and extend the value chain, which is conducive to solving the problem of local low-end overcapacity and insufficient high-end production capacity, promoting the vertical integration of the industrial chain, and fundamentally improving the quality and efficiency of the supply system. However, Zhucheng’s investment structure needs to be optimized, and the market competitiveness of local industries still has more potential to be tapped. Some parks in Zhucheng have low technology content and poor management, making it difficult to attract investment. The overall layout of Zhucheng’s park also needs to be optimized based on Zhucheng’s regional advantages, industrial positioning and industrial advantages. The construction work of Zhucheng is mainly a single act of leading enterprises, and has not yet formed a unified plan at the municipal level; the innovation awareness and digital transformation of the majority of small and medium-sized enterprises are insufficient, and they still need guidance and support.

3.2 Cultural environmentAt the 2022 Shandong Tourism Development Conference, Zhucheng City was officially awarded the third batch of provincial all-for-one tourism demonstration zones. Zhucheng City takes the dinosaur project as the guide to promote the "successive" development of the cultural tourism industry: focusing on promoting the development and construction of the dinosaur exploration kingdom project; promote the orderly development of the Zhushan Ecological Valley Happi Children’s Paradise Project and the Ganquanling Ecological Park Agricultural Tourism Project; guide the zoo to strive for a national AAAA scenic spot; Zhucheng further guides the promotion of intangible cultural heritage and "handmade in Shandong", cultural creativity and performance empowered scenic spots[2]; guide Yonghui Rural Ecological Park to apply for a provincial-level study travel base, and give full play to the "multiplier effect" of the cultural tourism consumption season[3]. Zhucheng has incorporated the promotion and protection of intangible cultural heritage into the overall planning of the city’s economic and social development, always practicing the concept of "seeing people, seeing things, and seeing life" in the protection of intangible cultural heritage, and has successively launched the Zhucheng intangible cultural heritage series in various forms, focusing on the splendid and rich history and culture of Zhucheng, and contributing intangible cultural heritage to the creation of Weifang as the "East Asian Cultural Capital"[4].

3.3 Social service environmentIn order to continuously optimize the business environment and promote the healthy development of enterprises, Zhucheng City adheres to problem-oriented, goal-oriented and results-oriented, bases itself on its own functions, refines its work responsibilities, takes the initiative to promote the optimization and upgrading of the business environment in an all-round way, and strives to achieve the goal of "enterprises respond, we act, enterprises expect and we strive to provide assistance". It really creates an easy, comfortable and assured environment for the development of enterprises.

3.4 Economic environmentZhucheng City is under the jurisdiction of Weifang City in Shandong Province. Weifang’s GDP in 2020 was more than 580 billion yuan, and Weifang City has been listed into the third-tier cities and second-tier cities in China, having commercial charm. Weifang is also a big city of type II in China. Weifang has two giants in the global subdivision industry, namely, Weichai, the world’s leading diesel engine industry, and the world’s largest supplier of Bluetooth headset and VR head display equipment. It is also the only Goermicro in China that ranks among the top ten microelectronics companies in the world. Weifang is the largest agricultural city in China and the birthplace of agricultural commercialization in China. Weifang has produced three rural revitalization development models, namely, Zhucheng, Weifang and Shouguang. Weifang is the only national comprehensive experimental area for agricultural open development in China.

4 Problems in the development of Zhucheng urban-rural fringe area at the present stage

4.1 Backward concept of industry and not deep atmosphere of culture and tourismIn Zhucheng City, the concept of "developing economy on the cultural basis" is deep. There is lack of sufficient understanding of county cultural tourism industry, lack of awareness of developing county comprehensive industry, the disconnection between dinosaur culture and tourism, and the situation of scenery without culture are also common. In the study of dinosaurs, the excavation of their own history is not deep enough, the tourist attractions do not have a strong cultural atmosphere and a sense of historical vicissitudes, and the dinosaur culture drifts away from tourism. In addition, the brand positioning of dinosaur resources is still not clear, so the urban design can not reflect the local characteristics of dinosaur city, and the spiritual connotation of dinosaur culture has not been truly combined with the law of modern urban design.

4.2 Small industrial scale and low product gradeAt present, there is no unified, open, competitive and orderly tourism market in Zhucheng urban-rural fringe. (i) The tourism market is extensive, decentralized and the total volume of transactions is not large. (ii) There are few tourism intermediaries, and the planning, promotion and market operation of cultural products are weak. (iii) The development of tourism industry is unbalanced, and no tourism industry chain or industry cluster has been formed. (iv) The structure of county tourism industry is not reasonable, the content of science and technology is low, and the consumption channels are narrow. (v) The degree of marketization of resources is not high, and the phenomenon of idle and waste of tourism resources is relatively common.

4.3 Too many redundant personnel in the team but scarce management talentsTalents are the key to the development of counties. At present, the development of county tourism industry is generally faced with the problems of excessive redundancy and lack of talents[5]. (i) Tourism institutions in the county generally have a large number of employees, older age, lower cultural quality and unreasonable structure. (ii) There is a shortage of cultural talents at the grass-roots level and in communities in rural areas, and the cultural level of employees is low. (iii) Most of the owners of individual tourism businesses are laid-off workers and farmers, who lack business management knowledge. (iv) There is lack of cultural brokers, producers, planners and agents with professional standards in tourism agencies. (v) Tourism managers lack high cultural literacy and innovative ability, marketing and management skills, and awareness of investment and risk management.

4.4 Lack of policy support and insufficient industrial supportZhucheng lacks substantial policy support and lacks a series of preferential policies. (i) There are no specific policies and regulations on taxation, land, government subsidies and the establishment of diversified input mechanisms, and there is a lack of supporting policies for the development of the county tourism industry. (ii) The financial industry does not support enough and lacks a strong internal driving force. (iii) The channels for private capital investment are not smooth, the quantity is insufficient, and the amount of investment is small.

5 Recommendations for the construction of "Three-integration" rolling development mode in urban-rural fringe from the perspective of thematic business engine

In view of problems in Zhucheng City, our team proposed the construction of "Three-integration" rolling development mode in urban-rural fringe from the perspective of thematic business engine (Fig.1-2).

Fig.1 Construction of "Three-integration" rolling development mode in urban-rural fringe from the perspective of thematic business engine

Fig.2 Introduction to "three integrations"

5.1 Government(i) Leaders take the lead in learning, organize leading cadres to study one step ahead and one level deeper, guide the majority of Party members and cadres to consciously read history books, learn allusions, understand principles, and deeply explore the rich connotation and epochal value of Zhucheng’s local dinosaur culture; carry out dinosaur culture knowledge quiz activities, urge cadres to strengthen theoretical learning and improve cultural understanding; With dinosaur culture as the starting point, government leaders should organize leading cadres to visit and study in demonstration parks such as China Dinosaur Park to enhance the awareness of cultural entrepreneurship and absorb advanced experience in cultural entrepreneurship.

(ii) The scenic spots should improve quality and upgrade, and play the engine role of Zhucheng dinosaur thematic business. It is recommended to promote the integration of "sports, tourism, culture, commerce and agriculture", promote tourism by culture, and promote culture by tourism, so as to form Zhucheng’s "three-integration ecology". Besides, it is necessary to organize and carry out the upgrading and transformation of dinosaur culture-related scenic spots, and promote the centralized construction of new projects such as pastoral complex projects and cultural tourism projects, covering the upgrading of tourism industry, the transformation of scenic infrastructure, the upgrading of public service facilities, the upgrading of agricultural tourism and comprehensive tourism; make effort to promote each other and help enterprises to ensure that local cultural entrepreneurship work is vigorous and effective.

(iii) Establishing a standard system. It is recommended to strengthen overall planning and formulate standards for the whole process, establish a grid management system, standardize the reception standards for major holidays, and implement the management mode of daily inspection, weekly notification and monthly summary; at the same time, it is necessary to carry out external output, further expand the popularity and brand influence of Zhucheng Dinosaur Eco-city, and vigorously enhance the operation and management of scenic spots with service standardization as the core.

(iv) It is recommended to do a good job of enterprise mobilization, keep a close eye on the long-term development of the enterprise, do a good job in the docking of relevant resources for enterprises, give relevant preferential policies, actively hold and participate in relevant tourism promotion meetings,etc., with the help of Zhucheng’s local resource advantages, accurately dock with the source market, promote the Dinosaur City brand, and help economic development; increase the cultivation of multiple subjects, take projects as the starting point, absorb social capital investment through external attraction, internal incubation, joint development,etc., solve the problem of single rural tourism business entities and business models, and stimulate market vitality.

(v) Strengthening regional collaboration. It is recommended to carry out regional redivision of functions, set up a three-step ecology of "management-park-city" getting larger to help smaller ones; under the framework of global tourism, it is expected to explore and promote the joint construction of urban and rural scenic spots, establish and improve the cooperation and sharing mechanism of rural tourism, further promote the two-way flow of urban and rural elements, and build a normalized tourism exchange relationship between urban and rural areas.

(vi) Enhancing the talent guarantee. It is recommended to establish and improve the training system of tourism talents with different levels, complementary advantages and distinctive characteristics; encourage the township to support the construction of their hometown; explore the training mode of tourism talents combining production, teaching and research; organize rural tourism practitioners to carry out normal and professional education and training, and promote the training of rural tourism practitioners and farmers’ quality improvement simultaneously.

5.2 Enterprises(i) Raising the service level. It is necessary to do a good job of spreading the local culture of Zhucheng, and do a good job of connecting Zhucheng with tourists. (ii) Enhancing industry coupling. It is necessary to promote enterprises to play the role of "transit station" of resources. Enterprises should promote the joint development and coupling development of county tourism and agriculture, forestry, industry, sports, education, health care, commerce and trade, and act as a resource hub, so as to create a new business cluster, fully tap the multi-functionality of agriculture, extend the industrial chain, enhance the value chain, and broaden the income-increasing chain. (iii) Enhancing cultural empowerment. It is recommended to continue to strengthen the development of all kinds of creative products, integrate the characteristics of Dinosaur City into the whole process of customer tourism, make full use of various cultural carriers, carry out in-depth cultural excavation, tell Dinosaur City stories well, and enhance Zhucheng’s self-confidence. (iv) Effectively connecting the supply and demand. It is necessary to push forward the structural reform of the supply side. On the one hand, we should strengthen market research, study and judge the tourist market in advance, and understand the needs of tourists in time; on the other hand, we should speed up product research and development. Characteristic industries have strong locality and irreplaceable characteristics. It is necessary to make innovation in the research and development of functional tourism products and derivatives, reflecting the differences of characteristics, so as to promote the deep integration of cultural resources, ecological resources and industrial resources. (v) Promoting entrepreneurship spirit. Leading enterprises need to play a leading role, and large and small enterprises should share resources, closely link up, and build a dinosaur eco-city.

5.3 The massesThe masses should set up cultural confidence. The masses should consciously enhance their sense of identity with Dinosaur City culture, consciously improve their own quality, take the initiative to participate in various education and training activities carried out by the government, consciously maintain the image of Dinosaur City, establish the brand awareness of Dinosaur City, guard the last mile of Dinosaur City tourism, and stimulate the endogenous driving force of Zhucheng’s development.

6 Conclusions

The successful practice of Zhucheng Dinosaur Eco-city conforms to the general requirements of the state of "giving priority to the development of rural agriculture and comprehensively promoting rural revitalization", gives a theoretical model for the requirements of "supporting the development of cultural and creative industries", and gives the domestic advanced "three-integration" rolling development mode construction research as a conceptual support.

(i) The successful practice of this theory has reference significance for the development of other urban-rural fringe areas with traditional cultural characteristics, and the existence of thematic business engine makes it more widely applicable and universal.

(ii) This model has found the cultural gene hidden in the historical development process for Zhucheng, which has a strong impetus to enhance cultural self-confidence and enhance cultural soft power.

(iii) The successful practice of this theory has a pioneering significance and far-reaching impact on improving the status quo of the protection and inheritance of cultural monuments in Zhucheng, stimulating the economic development of Zhucheng, promoting the integration of "sports, tourism, culture, commerce and agriculture" and industrial development in Zhucheng, improving quality and efficiency, and enhancing the well-being of people’s livelihood. In summary, this model helps to solve the institutional drawbacks that have long been rooted in the cultural and economic divide, and achieves a win-win situation at the social and economic levels.