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West Coast New Area looks to strengthen cinematic presence

By DING YUANYUAN | (CHINA DAILY) | 2020-09-30

Qingdao West Coast New Area in Shandong province has been ramping up efforts to strengthen its filmmaking industry in recent years, with its sights set on China's Hollywood.

The area is home to world-class film and television facilities and boasts a large pool of talent.

The Lingshan Bay Film and Television Culture Industry Area, covering an area of 44.6 square kilometers, has become one of the largest and busiest film production centers in China. By the end of 2019, it was home to over 300 film and television enterprises, forming a comprehensive supporting chain consisting of 18 film-related industries, including postproduction, clothing and props.

Located in the industry area, the 5G High-and-New-Tech Video Pilot Park is China's first 5G technology-driven project which was jointly launched last year by the National Radio and Television Administration, the Shandong provincial government, and the Qingdao city government.

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Oriental Movie Metropolis, based in Qingdao, Shandong province, is one of the largest film-studio complexes in the world. CHINA DAILY

The park aims to develop a comprehensive supply chain by recruiting video producers, technology experts, equipment manufacturers, supervisors and copyright service providers. It has also promoted new businesses and is offering brand-new audiovisual experiences to audiences with the help of 5G technology.

Oriental Movie Metropolis, the largest film-studio complex in the world, has received investments totaling 50 billion yuan ($7.3 billion) and is home to 40 of the world's best sound stages-including the world's largest, covering an area of about 10,000 square meters, as well as the world's only underwater sound stage.

Blockbusters shot there include The Wandering Earth and Pacific Rim: Uprising.

The mega-industrial park also boasts a studio street lined with European and Shanghai-style buildings, a shopping mall with a theme park, several luxury hotels, a yacht club, a hospital and an international school.

Such extravagances are meant to attract not only producers, but also visitors, as they offer an immersive and unforgettable experience.

The Qingdao and West Coast New Area governments, along with film project operators, have also set up a fund of 5 billion yuan to support the complex's future television and film productions.

In addition, the first phase of a 100-hectare back-lot at the Cangmashan Tourism Resort, which cost 5 billion yuan to build and offers a variety of streets featuring film studios, has opened to the public.

In recent years, a number of cinematic events have been held in the West Coast New Area, including the Awards of the Chinese Film Performing Arts, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Film Festival and the Qingdao Film and Television Expo.

Due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the area has launched a number of supporting measures to relieve financial pressure on production teams.

During this year's Qingdao Film and Television Expo, which ran from Saturday to Monday, the city government granted film enterprises and producers subsidies amounting to more than 10 million yuan.