Pingtan, an island county in Fujian Province dedicated to cross-Straits integration and international tourism, has earned national excellence recognition for its beautiful rural roads pilot program from the Ministry of Transport of China.

 Bird's-eye view of Pingtan's Northern Ecological Corridor

Centered on transport-tourism integration and high-quality development, Pingtan has constructed scenic, well-equipped rural roads that connect mountains, coastlines, villages and tourist attractions. Its Northern Ecological Corridor, a nationally renowned scenic route, has significantly boosted local rural tourism and homestay industries. Benefiting from improved road access, Zhenhai Rumian Homestay has expanded its facilities to meet strong holiday demand.

Pingtan has introduced innovations in road management and maintenance by partnering with universities to build a scientific evaluation system and institutional framework. Supported by new materials and technologies including self-luminous markers, rust converters and drone inspections, road safety and durability have been enhanced. Specifically, self-luminous markers improve nighttime visibility, rust converters protect metal structures, and drone inspections enable more efficient road monitoring. Together, these measures deliver safer and longer-lasting roads.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), Pingtan invested nearly 400 million yuan (about 55 million US dollars) to upgrade roughly 100 kilometers of rural roads. By the end of 2024, Pingtan's road density ranked second in Fujian Province, with full coverage of dual-lane roads to villages and 100% road maintenance coverage.

Pingtan has developed a series of popular scenic rural road routes. Moving forward, it will continue to deepen road management reform, optimize the road network and services, and support cross-Straits integration and rural revitalization.