Movie Town is a collaboration between China’s premium leisure and lifestyle conglomerate Mission Hills Group, acclaimed film director Feng Xiaogang, and the country’s leading film production studio, Huayi Brothers Media Corporation. The first of its kind in China, it integrates the beauty of architecture, film and retail into a unique tourist destination.
Located at Mission Hills Haikou, the movie town features architectures inspired by settings from Director Feng’s most popular movies, such as “Back To 1942”, “Tangshan Earthquake” and “If You Are the One”. It aims to build an all-inclusive entertainment and commercial tourism district, showcasing how China’s landscape has evolved over the past century.
The attractions in the Movie Town include key districts - “1942 Street”, “Nanyang Street” and “Traditional Beijing Street”; Church and Square, Park View Areas (where one can enjoy settings from Feng’s popular movies), the Avenue of Stars, and the world’s largest Movie Studio covering 8000square meters providing complementary services.
1942 Street
The first phase of Movie Town features “1942 Street”, depicting Republican Era buildings in Chongqing as featured in Feng’s movie “Back To 1942”. A total of 91 buildings showcase the different architectural styles which prevailed at the time, from the four cities along the Yangtze River: Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai. Of the 91 buildings, 20 have been restored exactly as they were in the old pictures, e.g.Yao Lu, the former residence for Chiang Kai-shek, Xishan Bell Tower, Chongqing Cathay Theatre, and Shanghai Rong Guang Theatre; each building with a long history which evokes old memories.
Nanyang Street
Built on the bank of a river that is over 300 meters long, “Nanyang Street” has 70 buildings characterized by typical South Asian features, where the Chinese elements stand in contrast to Western styles. The very appealing and intriguing ones are buildings that are representative of architectural styles from that period, like memorial arches, piers, bridges and churches.
Traditional Beijing Street
Buildings in the street mimic the styles of architectures from the 1950s to 1960s, after the People’s Republic of China was founded. They are magnificent, dignified and austere; tourists may find traces of their growing up memories.
Church and Square
Inspired by European cities’ urban planning with churches as the focus, the unique architectures here are decorated with intricate, exquisite carvings, designs and ornaments akin to that of churches in Europe.These buildings stand towering towards the sky, evoking a sense of awe and respect.
The Movie Studio
The area holds several large movie studios with a combined area of 8000 square meters, the largest in the world. The studios are equipped with a perfect set of facilities, as well as apartments for movie stars. It will be a place where Chinese movie stars gather and shine.
Avenue of Stars
Walking on the Avenue of Stars, tourists can see autographs and handprints of 80 popular local and international celebrities, most of whom have visited Movie Town. It is a great pleasure to walk on the Avenue and feel the charm of these stars, with a possibility of meeting your idols in person.
Park View Area
Buildings in the area are designed according to the settings from Director Feng Xiaogang’s Hesui movies (Chinese New Year celebration movies) such as “If You Are The One”, “The Banquet”, “A World Without Thieves”, “Tangshan Earthquakes”, with an aim to build a movie-themed park view area combining architectural arts, movie culture, commercial and entertainment.
