The Shanghai International Film Festival is embracing the burgeoning trend of movie tourism in China, showcasing a carefully curated selection of 15 Chinese classics that not only celebrate the country's cinematic heritage but also highlight its diverse landscapes and cultural richness. This initiative, titled "Grand Landscape: A Cinematic Portrait of China," is a strategic move to tap into the growing interest in film tourism, which has become a significant economic driver for the domestic film industry. The festival's programming manager, Freda Fan, explains that "film tourism is quite a trend in this recent five years." This trend is evident in the surge of tourism in provinces like Qinghai, where the Lunar New Year hit "Pegasus 3" sparked a 71% increase in hotel bookings in the filming location of Delingha. Similarly, the family drama "Dear You" has driven a surge in flights to the three cities it features, Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang. The Shanghai International Film Festival is leveraging this trend by promoting "City Walk" tours that encourage visitors to explore the city's iconic locations featured in films like "B for Busy" and "Her Story." The festival's "Grand Landscape" program is a strategic move to present a brief history of Chinese cinema from a geographical perspective, showcasing the country's internal richness, cultural diversity, and the intergenerational legacy of Chinese filmmakers. The selection of films includes classics like "Third Sister Liu," which gained popularity due to its stunning vistas of Guangxi, and "The Taking of Tiger Mountain," which showcased the snow-capped peaks of Heilongjiang. However, the festival acknowledges that 15 films are too few to capture China's full diversity, but it is a "little attempt to show the beauty and touching stories of the land by revisiting Chinese classics." The Shanghai International Film Festival's embrace of movie tourism is a strategic move that not only celebrates the country's cinematic heritage but also contributes to the broader local economy. The China Film Administration's report highlights the significant economic impact of film tourism, with each yuan collected at the domestic box office generating 15.77 yuan for "related industries." As the film industry continues to navigate the post-pandemic landscape, the festival's initiative to promote film tourism is a testament to the power of cinema to drive economic growth and cultural exchange.
