Mountainous debate over Avatar name

• Source: Global Times
• [03:02 January 29 2010]
• Comments

Despite the animosity, local businesses haven't stopped trying to make money from the Avatar hype.

Travel agencies have launched routes such as the "Magical tour to Avatar's Pan-dora" and the "Miracle tour to Avatar floating mountain."

Sun Yan, general manager of the Zhangjiajie branch of China International Travel Service, told the Global Times about the 50 percent surge in tourism, despite this being an off-peak tourism season. And she noted that the agency has offered some of its office space to the Avatar Office.

She even revealed a bit of news about a potential sequel, which has been widely rumored online, given the film's success.

"We also know that the Avatar camera crew have agreed to shoot Avatar 2 here in three or four years' time," she said.

Other sites claim influence

Following the movie's huge success on the Chinese mainland, Mount Huang (Huangshan), a famous mountain in Anhui Province, and Mount Hua (Huashan), another scenic mountain in Shaanxi Province, have joined the tussle with Zhangjiajie for recognition over which is the real prototype of the film's featured mountains.

When asked during a promotion tour in Beijing in December about his inspiration for Avatar, Cameron said Hallelujah Mountain originated from Mount Huang.

On the website of Mount Huang, a banner says "Hallelujah Mountain of Avatar is a prototype from Mount Huang."

Deng Daoli, back at the Avatar Office, questioned Cameron's claim and uploaded pictures as evidence that the South Heaven Pillar mirrors that seen in the movie.

Deng said he would give 100,000 yuan in cash to anyone able to prove that the prototype came from elsewhere, although he didn't speculate on how one could prove that to him.

Yunyong said that he believed the Avatar camera crew intentionally misnamed the mountain as Mount Huang to create controversy in China as a strategy to sell their film.

Bai Yansong, a well-known Chinese commentator, said on a CCTV news program that the name change has become a gigantic joke.

"It's pathetic that Huangshan and Zhangjiajie are struggling to get the name," he said. "Movie scenes can be found everywhere in the world. So why are only we serious?

"Why is our cultural back so bendable?"

Song Shengxia contributed to this story