'Avatar': You've seen the film, now climb the mountain
Whether they are they inspired by Huangshan or Zhanjiajie's famous peaks, the visual spectacle of the Hallelujah Mountains in "Avatar" needs no debate.
Officials in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province have renamed one of their famous mountains in honor of James Cameron’s movie hit “Avatar.” The peak, formerly known as the South Pillar of Heaven, will now be called Hallelujah Mountain.
This isn't just a tribute to Cameron's genius. The officials who renamed the peak explain that the “striking tall and craggy formations in the area served as the inspiration for the floating mountains seen in the film.”
However, while a Hollywood photographer did visit the park in 2008, Cameron said the peaks in his film were inspired by the famous Huangshan mountain range in Anhui province.
"Avatar" has so far made around $80 million in China, and has become the country's most popular film in boxoffice history, so it is unsurprising that Zhangjiajie is trying to capitalize on the film’s success.
"Avatar" China travel packages
In addition to changing the peak’s name, the Zhangjiajie government, as reported by Jing Daily, now also offer "Avatar"-themed travel packages. This will bring more tourists to Hallelujah mountain as well as other (non-"Avatar"-related) tourist destinations in the area, including Yuanjia Jie, Tianzishan, Jinbian Xi and Huanglong Cave, according to Zhangjiajie’s tourism director Song Zhiguang.
Reuters also reports that Zhangjiajie branch of China International Travel Service Corp (CITS) is now offering a Magical tour to Avatar-Pandora as well as a Miracle tour to Avatar’s floating mountain.
With Spring Festival right around the corner, they couldn’t have picked a better time.
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