The 40-year-old owner of the old house wants to develop tourism.
Old Li has become the "plot man" of Qinglong Village, where many scenes of "The Love of Hawthorn Tree" were filmed in his old house. Recently, a lot of people have come to ask Old Li about the condition of the old house. Many people have given him advice: after Zhang Yimou finishes filming, the old house should not be changed anymore, and it would be best to leave the props behind, as it will become the central attraction of "The Love of Hawthorn Tree" in the future. You must take photos with Zhang Yimou and the main actors for more convincing power. In the future, you can just sit there and sign autographs for tourists who come.
Director Zhang Yimou (in purple clothes) was enthusiastically explaining the scene to the actors, which made the actor Li Xuejian, who played the village chief (upper left), and other actors burst into laughter.
On the online forum of "The Love of Hawthorn Tree", many hawthorn fans expressed their desire to visit the birthplace of the story. Qinglong Village in Yuan'an County, a place a bit far from the actual location of the story, is quietly undergoing changes due to Zhang Yimou.
A person who wants to change careers
Zhang Yimou's films have brought countless tourist attractions to popularity. Starting from "Red Sorghum", Zhang Yimou is like a promoter ambassador, every movie he makes brings life to a scenic spot. The poetic Jiuzhaigou, the ancient city of Lijiang with its bridges over the water, the endless tea mountains and bamboo seas...
April 19th was the most exciting day for Old Li. This evening, my whole family took a photo with Zhang Yimou. I had close contact with Zhang Yimou and the actors today, spoke with Laosan and Jingqiu, and chatted with Zhang Yimou for a while... In the afternoon, it was the scene where Jingqiu and Laosan had their first meal together, filmed in my hall. I stood by watching, but unfortunately, the crew asked me not to take photos. After the scene ended, under my repeated requests, Director Zhang and my whole family took a photo in front of the old house of the village chief. Then, I also got the actor who played the village chief, Li Xuejian, to sign for me.
The recent change is the Danxia landform in Zhangye, Gansu. This rarely known land appeared in Zhang Yimou's "Three Guns". Now it's bustling with activity, with daily tourist numbers exceeding 2000. Hotels and tourist reception centers are being built at the entrance of the scenic area, and local villagers are turning their courtyards into agritainment establishments. Qinglong Village in Yuan'an County, Hubei, a remote mountain village, will surely gain fame through Zhang Yimou's lens. Countless examples prove that the marriage between tourism and film, especially with Zhang Yimou, holds infinite financial prospects.
March 28th, Old Li wrote on his QQ space: A few days ago, I heard that a group of people came to my hometown, saying they wanted to shoot a movie. I was skeptical, what's so good about my hometown? No matter how remote or poor the place is, it's just mountains and water. Yesterday, I went back specifically, and it's true! And the location chosen is the old house I used to live in. It turns out it's another famous drama, directed by none other than the renowned director Zhang Yimou. Ha ha, I've met a big shot. Afterwards, Old Li became like an information officer for the locals, revealing quite a bit of news about "The Love of Hawthorn Tree."
Li Kaizhong, 40 years old, was one of the earliest wealthy people in the area. He rented a house in the county town to sell home appliances and was well-known near and far in Yuan'an County. Life progressed steadily, and money kept coming in. But a month ago, because of Zhang Yimou, this already enterprising person conceived another dream in his heart.
Wherever Zhang Yimou shoots, changes happen there.
In the online forum, a netizen proudly posted such a sentence. On the urban road from Yangping to Qinglong Village,
The novel "The Love of Hawthorn Tree" has already made Yichang a place yearned for by hawthorn fans. When Zhang Yimou was scouting locations, the assistant director visited several counties in Hubei, and finally settled on Yuan'an, a county under Yichang City. Yuan'an County values this greatly because wherever Zhang Yimou shoots, changes follow.
A village that needs renovation
The government plans to establish a film base in Qinglong.
As the movie becomes popular, more and more people start considering the movie's shooting locations as travel destinations. Movie shooting location tourism is becoming a trend.
Just because it became the shooting location for Zhang Yimou's "The Love of Hawthorn Tree", overnight, Yuan'an in Yichang, Hubei gained fame worldwide. "Hero" made Jiuzhaigou world-famous; "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" added to Lijiang's tourism appeal; "Three Guns" caused the ticket prices of Gansu Zhangye's Danxia landform to multiply several times. Movies add color due to beautiful scenery, and landscapes become widely known due to movies. Director Zhang Yimou thus changes the world with his lens.
Yuan'an County's Qinglong Village is attempting to replicate this model. I am from Qinglong Village, Yuan'an County, Yichang City!
These days, some villagers have even put aside their farm work. Their greatest joy is watching the film crew shoot. During the filming of "The Love of Hawthorn Tree", 10 villagers from Qinglong Village were selected as security guards, and 20 extras were chosen. At the same time, several locals were hired in the crew's catering team. Those who drive taxis and motorcycles are busy making extra money. Before, you wouldn't encounter a single person along the way, but now we can set our prices," said the taxi driver without any reservation.
Everyone is welcome to visit the shooting location of "The Love of Hawthorn Tree" in my hometown. Such a sentence is written in Li Kaizhong's QQ signature. The government has decided to develop tourism. Li Kaizhong said. As he said, once Zhang Yimou leaves, the government will put up a sign at the entrance of Qinglong Village - the shooting location of Zhang Yimou's "The Love of Hawthorn Tree". The government is planning to turn this place into a film base, specifically providing sets from the 1960s and 70s for other crews.
Nanping Village became famous due to Zhang Yimou's "Ju Dou", Zhouzhuang gained attention due to "Shake, Shake, Shake, Rowing to Grandpa's Bridge"...