Ming City Scenic Area

Ming City Scenic Area

“Ming City” was built during the Hongzhi era (1500 AD) as one of many military fortresses constructed by the Ming Dynasty along the northwestern line of the Great Wall, originally named “Zhenbei Fort.” In 1738, the Zhenbei Fort barracks were destroyed in an earthquake. In the early 1960s, Zhang Xianliang happened to visit Zhenbei Fort by chance, and the aesthetic value of its ruined walls made a profound impact on him. When he resumed writing in the early 1980s, he incorporated it into his novel “Green Trees,” referring to it as “Zhennan Fort,” while also actively promoting it to the film industry. This set the stage for the ancient fortress ruins to enjoy their vibrant present.

Zhenbei Fort’s Ming City is famed for its desolate, rugged, primitive, and natural landscape, primarily showcasing film and television culture. Iconic scenes from famous director Xie Jin’s films “The Herdsman” and “The Old Man and His Dog” bear witness to the friendship between Zhang Xianliang and Xie Jin. “The Herdsman” broke box office records upon its premiere, attracting 180 million viewers—an achievement no domestic film has surpassed to this day. Its lead actors, Zhu Shimao and Cong Shan, became widely known because of it. China’s first internationally award-winning film, “Red Sorghum,” was largely shot in Ming City, where the “Wine Workshop,” “Jiu’er’s Room,” and the classic cinematic scene “Moon Gate” have been fully preserved. It was here that Zhang Yimou, Gong Li, and Jiang Wen stepped onto the international film stage. The “Blacksmith Camp” was a key location in the film “The Ballad of the Yellow River,” directed by Teng Wenji, which won a major award at the Montreal International Film Festival. Ge You’s film debut was as the bandit leader in this movie, marking the beginning of his rise to becoming China’s “Movie King.” The postmodern classic “A Chinese Odyssey” features numerous scenes shot in this city, such as the “Bandit’s Lair,” “Marriage Proposal Stage,” “Spider Web Cave,” “Spider Spirit Bathhouse,” and “Tang Monk’s Execution Platform.” The “Changban Slope” is an ancient street built for “Just Another Pandora’s Box,” shot by Stephen Chow after “A Chinese Odyssey.” This film starred a star-studded cast from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China. Over the past 20 years, more than 100 films and TV dramas have left nearly 200 filming locations here. As the site with the most productions, the most celebrities launched, and the most national and international awards earned, it has earned the title “China’s Unique Northwest Spectacle.”

Stars shine brightly all around this place—if you stroll through it, you’re sure to have an extraordinary and unforgettable experience.