Fascinating China Sceneries in Blockbuster Films

It feels good to watch a well-made film with touching plot and enchanting scenes， and only better to see in real the impressive images it leaves in your head. This issue of This Is China will take you to the beautiful places where beloved films Avatar， Kong Fu Panda， Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon， and Hero were shot.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park-Avatar

The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is located in Zhangjiajie City in northern Hunan Province in the People’s Republic of China， covering an area of 4，810 hectares. It was recognized as the country’s first national forest park in 1982， and listed as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2004.

The most notable geographic features of the park are the pillar-like formations that are seen throughout the park. One of the park’s quartz-sandstone pillars， the 3，544-foot Southern Sky Column， had been officially renamed “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain” in honor of the eponymous film in January 2010. According to park officials， photographs from Zhangjiajie inspired the floating Hallelujah Mountains seen in the film. The film’s director and production designers said that they drew inspiration for the floating rocks from mountains from around the world， including those in the Hunan province.

The sandstone pillars are the result of many years of erosion. The weather is moist year round， and as a result， the foliage is very dense. Much of the erosion which forms these pillars is the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants which grow on them. These formations are a distinct hallmark of Chinese landscape， and can be found in many ancient Chinese paintings.

Phoenix Ancient Town-Kong Fu Panda

Phoenix is regarded in the Chinese culture as a mythical bird of good omen and longevity that is consumed by fire to be re-born again from the flames. Phoenix Ancient Town is so called as legend has it that two of these fabulous birds flew over it and found the town so beautiful that they hovered there， reluctant to leave.

The town is situated on the western boundary of Hunan Province in an area of outstanding natural beauty where mountains， water and blue skies prevail. Upon entering the town the visitor will be impressed by its air of mystery， elegance and primitive simplicity. The bridges over the water and unique houses built on stilts display a harmony that is so often portrayed in traditional Chinese paintings. This is particularly true when mist pervades the scene in the early morning or after rain. It soon becomes apparent that the claim to being one of the two most beautiful towns in the whole of China is more than justified; the other town is Chang Ting in Fujian Province.

Phoenix Ancient Town is a wonderful example of what villages were like prior to the onset of modernization. Here dozens of alleys paved with flagstones run between the houses， each showing wear caused by the feet of generations of local people who have used them when going about their daily business. For the visitor， these alleys are the way to see the typical high gabled wooden houses built on stilts along the banks of the Tuo Jiang River at close quarters.

In many ways， life has not changed here for centuries and this is typified by the tough， hard working yet simplehearted people. Phoenix Ancient Town offers visitors from both home and abroad a view of a quite different China from anything experienced in the modern cities and large conurbations that are more widely known.

Hong Village-Crouching Tiger， Hidden Dragon

Hong Village is a historic， picturesque village on the slopes of Mount Huangshan in the southern part of Anhui Province in China. The village is a popular tourist destination and， together with Xidi， has been declared a World Heritage Site.

The village is built next to Jiyin Stream and nearby are Nanhu and Qishu Suiku lakes. Four bridges cross the stream in Hongcun forming a network joining the 150 or so buildings in the village. Most pictures， like this pan- orama， show the area at the entrance to the village where the stream and water channels flowing through the village collect in a small lake.

Much of the architecture dates back to Ming and Qing Dynasties(15th to 17th centuries) and is said to be the best of its kind in China. Chenzhi Hall， one of the larger properties within the village， is open to the public and contains a small museum.

Tourism to Hong Village has greatly increased， aided by the designation of the village as a World Heritage Site and also because much of the film Crouching Tiger， Hidden Dragon was shot here.

Anji County-Crouching Tiger， Hidden Dragon

Known as the “hometown of bamboo”， Anji County in Zhejiang Province is blessed with mountains covered with bamboo forests， rippling streams， tea terraces and quaint villag- es. A three-hour drive from Shanghai， the county has gone against the trend of modern development. 75 percent of its land is forested.

Bamboo is such a big part of Anji that a “bamboo culture” has evolved and a museum displays how folk artists use different parts of bamboo to create sculptures， statues and even paintings. Bamboos are practically everywhere. Even the restaurants serve a variety of dishes featuring bamboo.

And if the scenery looks familiar， it’s probably because you’ve seen a film that was shot in Anji. Many movies have been filmed here including parts of the Oscar-winning film Crouching Tiger， Hidden Dragon. In this film， a spectacular fight scene amongst a bamboo forest takes place between characters played by Chow Yun-Fat and Zhang Ziyi.

Going deeper into the county， tourists may be interested in the She ethnic minority group and their unique tradi-tions. If you’re lucky， you may be invited to participate in a She wedding ceremony. According to tradition， the groom has to pass four challenges - solve a riddle， drink bowls of Chinese liquor， catch a chicken and win a folk song singing competition- before marrying his bride. She people love to get tourists involved in the fun， but don’t worry， it’s not an attempt to trick you into marriage.

Ejinaqi Banner-Hero

With his 2002 film Hero， director Zhang Yimou made the then unknown Ejina Banner an instant star. Audiences throughout the world were mesmerized by the county’s golden leaves flying all over the sky.

In the northwest corner of Inner Mongolia， Ejina Banner is one of the only three extensive poplar forests in the world and home of 30，000 hectares of poplar trees. Included in Ejina’s diverse terrain are vast expanses of the Gobi Desert along with gorgeous poplar forests. Considered a camel hub of Inner Mongolia， Ejina is also home to a lengthy history and fascinating nomadic customs.

Tall poplars and thick rose willows flourish in Ejina’s vast wilderness. Flocks of sheep roam down slopes of sand dunes and through the woods as the setting sun produces a glowing silhouette of passing camels. It’s no wonder such scenery attracts picture-takers from near and far.

From October to November is the best time to enjoy poplars because the sudden temperature drop paints the forests golden. In only a few days， the woods completely transform from lush green to radiant shades of yellow. With the backdrop of blue skies and vast expanses of desert， the vistas can be stunning. As the temperature continues to drop， falling leaves become another big attraction for photographers and tourists. Ejina hosts an annual poplar festival in early October， during which the photography contest is a central event.