First in Hangzhou: Tonglu awarded designated national filming location

Tonglu county in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, is named a designated national filming location on Nov 5 2019.  [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Hangzhou's first designated national filming location was officially awarded to Tonglu county by the China Federation of Radio and Television Associations on Nov 5, 2019.

Makers of the TV series Falling in Love with Cats, which even before filming had aroused a great deal of interest with its cross-planet love story, announced it would start shooting that same day. In the following two months, it shot at several locations in the county such as Daqishan National Forest Park, Yingchun business district, and Jiangnan Ancient Village scenic area.

Tonglu local Yu Xintian, the leading actress in the series, was honored as the county's tourism and culture promotion ambassador.

As the most beautiful county in China, Tonglu combines a modern urban area with a romantic rural area, making it the first choice for film, television and TV program shoots.

An Unexpected Son-In-Law, produced by Shanghai Film Studios, was the first film shot in the county's Shangyangzhou village in the 1980s.

Well-known works made in the county include Stay with Me, starring Wang Kai and Joe Chen, and Best Time, featuring Wallace Chung, Jia Nailiang and Ning Chang.

In 2018, more than 10 films and TV series were shot in Tonglu. What's more, Tonglu has also received great attention from State and provincial-level mainstream media's current affairs program and shows shown on CCTV and Zhejiang TV. Amazing China, a documentary film celebrating the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, and Back to Field, a TV show themed on the treasures of a rural life, were both shot in the county.

Moreover, Tonglu is making great strides in the construction of an all-for-one filming location.

Focusing on the integration of film and cultural creation, the county has become a popular location of Back to Field Series One, and is the TV show's only offline experience base. Tonglu has also broken through online with hot topics that benefit local industries.