Eastern China's Shandong Province is home to Confucius, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential people shaping eastern philosophy.

Authorities in the province said on Tuesday in a press conference in Beijing, they would continue to create new growth drivers for the local economy.

Liu Jiayi, secretary of the provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, highlighted Shandong's progress over the past few decades. 

Answering questions from CGTN, he said the region needs to use its rich traditional cultural background as a key driver for growth. 

"We have established five systematic structures covering education, communication and cultural inheritance. We will continue to use our profound culture as a key messenger to promote Shandong to the world," Liu said.

The heavily-populated province was home to nearly 100 million people in 2017. And its GDP last year was 7.6 trillion yuan (1.1 trillion U.S. dollars).

Playing a key role in China's economic reform, Shandong's economic strengths include chemicals, textiles, and machinery.

Experts say if it does well in pushing for economic transformation and realizing the shift from old to new economic drivers, it will offer valuable experiences and confidence for other provinces and regions.

Shandong Governor Gong Zheng admits the urgency of transforming its traditional economic structure and highlighted the importance of environmental protection.

"In the process of industrial upgrading, in 2017 and 2018 we shut down over one-hundred thousand enterprises that were heavy polluters," Gong said.

Authorities said Shandong plans to complete this round of efforts to replace old economic growth drivers with new ones by 2028 and become a modern province with robust economic strength by 2035.