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Tourism
Avatar's Hallelujah Mountain in real lifePosted by Eric Mu, January 25, 2010 7:41 PM
 Hallelujah Mountain in real life We have already learned China's local level tourism authorities are capable of coming up with the wackiest ideas when it comes to marketing. To their credit, the tourism bureau of Zhangjiajie in Hunan just announced earlier today that the reputed "South Pillar of the Heaven" (南天一柱) aka "Pillar between Heaven and Earth" (乾坤柱), a 150 meter tall rock which is supposedly the archetype of sci-fi movie Avatar's fantasy world, was rechristened to "Hallelujah Mountain" － a tribute to Cameron's sensational blockbuster as well as a smart ploy that has the potential of raking in tens of millions of foreign tourist dollars. According to Song Zhiguang, the director of the scenic area management committee: "... the renaming is not xenophilia. We are simply trying to be accommodating to people's wishes. Zhangjiajie is the world's natural heritage. The gorgeous beauty of it doesn't only belong to the Chinese people, it also belongs to the whole world. By changing the name from South Pillar of the Heaven to Hallelujah Mountain, we are sending a message: Zhangjiejie doesn't only belong to the world, it embraces the world!" Links and Sources
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Comments on Avatar's Hallelujah Mountain in real life
Actually when I first saw Avatar, I thought Pandora was essentially Zhangjiajie getting a Castle in the sky + Valley of wind treatment from Hayao Miyazaki. Of course the story itself is direct rip off from Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves.
Southern Thailand has "James Bond Island", so there was certainly a historical precedent for naming (or renaming) film location landmarks for the purpose of promoting international tourism.
I am guilty of visiting "James Bond Island" as an excursion from Phuket, but can't justify a trip to western Hunan just to see Hallelujah Mountain.
I don't believe foreign tour group companies will add Zhangjiajie to their itinerary nor will the numbers of individual foreign tourists increase dramatically due to the "Avatar" effect. I predict the "rock star" attraction of this rock will involve far more domestic tourists rather than foreign.
Though sad to rename natural wonders after movies made in 2009. Iam sure the southern sky pillar sounds beautifull in chinease.