Ang Lee instantly recognized it — the deserted island in "Life of Pi" is an exact match to the Banyan Garden

Reported by You T-Ru / Taipei

The first 3D adventure blockbuster directed by Ang Lee, "Life of Pi," was largely filmed in Taiwan. The scene where Pi drifts to a mysterious, rhesus monkey–infested cannibal island was shot at Kenting’s “Banyan Garden.” According to Xiao Man, a local resident who accompanied Lee during location scouting, the real Banyan Garden looks exactly like the illustrated version in the film — what a coincidence.


▲ The scene of the mysterious deserted island in the film was shot at Kenting’s Banyan Garden. (Photo / from YouTube)


▲ The original Banyan Garden, enhanced with artificial seaweed, became the setting in the movie. (Photo / by reporter You T-Ru)

Resembling a tropical rainforest in South America, the grove features intertwining aerial roots of trees, with a density and pristine landscape that are truly awe-inspiring. Walking through the garden feels like stepping into a jungle on the other side of the planet. When Ang Lee first saw Banyan Garden during the scouting trip, he immediately discussed the tree-climbing scenes with the art director, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “This kind of scenery is utterly natural — you just can’t recreate it.”

Xiao Man, the local resident who accompanied Lee on the location scout, laughed and said, “After scouting, I saw the illustrations in the book. The Banyan Garden and the drawings look almost identical — it really is a huge coincidence. You can tell Ang Lee knew right away this was the place.” By relocating the crew to the Banyan Garden for filming, Lee certainly didn’t disappoint the locals. The eerie deserted island imagery presented in the film struck a deep chord, even filling residents with pride. “Where else in the world, besides Taiwan, could you find a place like this?”


▲ The Banyan Garden is truly stunning — a place like this, you won’t find anywhere else but Taiwan. (Photo / by reporter You T-Ru)