Tucked deep in the Taihang Mountains in central China's Henan Province, the cliffside village of Guoliang has become a tourism sensation, drawing over a million visitors a year with surging annual income to this iconic movie spot.
Guoliang Village sits within the Wanxian Mountain area of the southern Taihang Range. Ever since Xie Jin, one of modern Chinese cinema's most prominent directors, shot his award-winning film Bell of Purity Temple here in 1991, more than 60 movies and television dramas have chosen the village as their backdrop. After their filming wrapped up, the village preserved the sets and built the "Chinese Film Village," a destination that now pulls in tourists from across the country.
"The hanging cliff highway and the landscape of our Guoliang Village have drawn many film crews to check in and shoot here," said Shen Luoqun, a local villager.
Building on its film resources, the Wanxian Mountain scenic zone has woven cinematic culture into its own thearatical offerings. Immersive situational dramas on local history now play on a regular schedule, recreating classic film scenes and guerrilla stories during the war against Japanese aggression. The experience allows visitors to go from simply watching a movie to acting one, giving them a hands-on taste of the joy of filmmaking.
As film-themed tourism continues to heat up, a cluster of movie-inspired guesthouses has emerged around the village. Centered on classic film motifs, local inns feature wall paintings and film still corridors and display vintage movie posters in their rooms.
"We spent five or six years renovating the homestay property. We blended all the film elements from Director Xie Jin's movies right into this space, to give visitors a better experience," said Li Juncheng, a homestay owner, referring to the late Chinese film director.
"The film vibe here is wonderful. You can see stills from back in the day all around. That is what drew me here," said tourist Shen Jianfei.
Not long ago, villagers in Guoliang struggled even to travel beyond their community, with per capita annual incomes of barely 1,000 yuan (about 146 U.S. dollars). Today, fueled by the film and tourism industries, the village has seen average household income soar to nearly 200,000 yuan (about 29,300 U.S. dollars). Young people who once left to find work in cities are now returning to start their own businesses, running homestays, and selling local specialties.
"Based on the film IPs, we have developed a 'Travel with Films' route product. During the May Day holiday, our market research suggests we can expect a more than 15 percent jump in visitor traffic compared with the same period in 2025," said Fang Zhiqiang, deputy manager of the Wanxian Mountain scenic area.
Filming location turns Henan cliffside village into tourist hotspot
