With many Chinese films such as "Nezha" "Fengshen II: War in Xiqi" and "Detective Chinatown 1900" being popular in the international market, on February 17, the launching ceremony of the "Follow Movies to Travel China" event was held at the China Film Museum in Beijing, hosted by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and co-organized by China Global Television Network (CGTN) and the Film Channel Program Center.

Nezha, the "phenomenal filmmaker", has captured the hearts of hundreds of millions of viewers with his Hun Tian Ling during this Spring Festival. At the launch ceremony, the "10 billion box office hero" received the certificate of "Traveling China with Movies" promotion ambassador from Lu Liang, deputy director of the Film Bureau of the Central Propaganda Department.

Nezha and Ao Bing puppets make a surprise appearance

According to reports, the "Travel Around China with Movies" event aims to seize the favorable opportunity of the global popularity of Spring Festival movies, take advantage of the current comprehensive relaxation and optimization of the transit visa-free policy, and attract more overseas tourists to come to China to experience firsthand a trustworthy, lovable and respectable China.

The activities mainly focus on the overseas distribution and screening of Chinese films, overseas Chinese film festivals and exhibitions, and international film festivals and exhibitions at home and abroad. They will carry out extensive "film + tourism" publicity and promotion, guide more overseas moviegoers to appreciate the Chinese style through Chinese stories, and stimulate enthusiasm for tourism consumption in China; encourage film companies and tourism companies to innovate cooperation, deeply explore the cultural and tourism value of Chinese films, and launch film-themed tourism boutique routes that can experience the wonderful stories on the screen and the cultural connotations of the films, while feeling China's natural scenery and cultural customs, open up the "communication field" and the "consumption field", and promote more "heart-moving" overseas audiences to be transformed into "physical" inbound tourists.

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Ma Yiliang, chief statistician of the China Tourism Academy, said that during the Spring Festival holiday this year, scenic spots across the country received 3.4321 million inbound tourists from 175 countries and regions, a year-on-year increase of 6.2%. Among them, 699,500 were foreign tourists, a 20% increase over the same period last year.

"There is an obvious characteristic in tourism demand. People usually go to see famous mountains, rivers and well-known scenic spots first, and then go to niche scenic spots. The range of choices is from few to many, and the difficulty of choosing is from small to large. Traveling with movies is a good choice. For example, the number of tourists received by Xiangfan and Yibin this time has increased significantly, which is obviously driven by "The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Greatest Hero" and "Nezha: The Devil Child Conquers the Dragon King". With more tourists coming and staying longer, it will naturally drive the consumption of local food and cultural and creative products. The lotus root powder used to reshape the bodies of Nezha and Ao Bing in the movie has also become popular this time. The sales of lotus root powder in Hubei, China's largest lotus root planting province, increased more than fivefold during the same period." Ma Yilian said.

Ma Yiliang, Chief Statistician, China Tourism Academy

Jiang Qiudi, head of the European headquarters of China Media Group, said that the station will make full use of its world-class communication advantages with overseas stations all over the world and cooperation with hundreds of international mainstream media and social platforms, and promote the "Travel around China with Movies" event in an innovative way to continuously expand the coverage and influence of the event; continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with international film organizations, and carefully create brand activities such as the "Chinese Film and Television Works Exhibition and Broadcasting Season" to effectively promote Chinese films to "go global" better.

At the launching ceremony, the crews of the Spring Festival films such as "Nezha: The Devil Boy Conquers the Dragon King", "Investiture of the Gods Part II: The Battle of Xiqi", and "Detective Chinatown 1900" introduced the hot screenings and enthusiastic post-screening responses of the films in major global film markets such as North America, Australia and New Zealand, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Hong Kong and Macau. Many foreign cultural friends and travel bloggers promoted relevant scenic spots around the filming locations, shooting locations and story locations of the Spring Festival films, vividly showing the beautiful China from a film perspective.

In addition, Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis, Wuxi National Digital Film Industrial Park, Western Film Group, Hengdian World Studios, etc. also showcased their filming resources, production advantages, industrial policies and tourism features, and extended an invitation to filmmakers and fans from around the world to come to China for filming and tourism. China UnionPay promoted the outstanding advantages of the "Splendid Action" to support inbound tourism consumption, and will be committed to creating an inclusive and convenient payment acceptance environment to provide more payment convenience and consumption discounts for tourists who come to China for "movies + tourism".

Launch ceremony site