Wan'an Film and Television New City

Wan'an Film and Television New City

Jiangxi Province's Wan'an Film and Tourism City is located on the north side of Fenghuang Road in Wan'an County, covering an area of over 4,000 acres with a total investment of more than 200 million yuan. The urban layout is constructed 1:1 according to historical blueprints of the "Old Summer Palace" (Yuanmingyuan), creating a "New Yuanmingyuan." It is the largest contiguous film and television shooting base and leisure tourism destination developed in southern China.

The historically world-famous Old Summer Palace in Beijing was first built in the early 18th century, covering a total area of 5,250 acres. It was a grand imperial garden constructed over 151 years by mobilizing the manpower and resources of the entire nation under the Qing rulers. The Yuanmingyuan was majestic in scale, exquisitely built, and varied in layout. Its thematic designs spanned a wide range—from political allegories and Confucian classics to religious prayers and scenes of folk life—encompassing both the heavens and the human world. In 1856, the Second Opium War broke out. The Qing government, incompetent and indecisive in its stance between resistance and appeasement, was eventually driven back step by step under the advance of the Anglo-French allied forces. In 1860, the British and French troops captured Beijing and set fire to the Yuanmingyuan. Within days, the cultural relics, treasures, paintings, ceramics, and other valuables stored in the garden were looted and destroyed. This once-renowned garden was tragically burned down, marking a catastrophe not only for China but also for the modern civilization of the world.

Wan'an Film and Tourism City was jointly planned and designed by Beijing Film Group Corporation and the Design Institute of Zhejiang Hengdian World Studios, and was developed as a construction project invested by Zhejiang businessman Ma Xiangliang in April 2003. The plan includes the creation of fourteen scenic spots, with a construction period of four years. It perfectly blends the classical grandeur of imperial architecture with the delicate freshness of the southern water towns, integrating film and television production, entertainment, leisure, and tourism sightseeing. Currently, ten scenic spots have been completed, including Sitting Stone by Flowing Water, Hall of Uprightness and Brightness, Leifeng Evening Glow, Reception of Exquisite Mountain House, Mirror-Refecting Zither, Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake, Wuling 0, Upper and Lower Heavenly Light, Penglai Jade Terrace, and Compassionate Clouds Universal Protection.

Once completed, it will become the largest contiguous film and television shooting base and film tourism destination in southern China. Currently, nine scenic spots in the film and tourism city—including "Hall of Uprightness and Brightness," "Reception of Exquisite Mountain House," and "Penglai Jade Terrace"—have been completed. At the end of December 2006, the famous domestic producer and director Zhang Jizhong led the crew of "The Deer and the Cauldron" to the film and tourism city for shooting. Our county held a commencement ceremony for the filming of "The Deer and the Cauldron" at Wan'an Film and Tourism City. Numerous celebrities such as Huang Xiaoming, He Zhuoyan, Tan Feiling, and Yuan Yuan, along with dozens of domestic, provincial, and municipal news and entertainment media, gathered in Wan'an. During the filming period, three to four thousand residents from surrounding counties and villages visited the film city every day, making the area bustling and lively. The filming of "The Deer and the Cauldron" marked a significant highlight in our county’s development of the "Film and Television New City" and opened a new chapter in the growth of Wan'an’s film and television tourism industry.