Filming said to trash Shangari-La lake
By Jiang Xuezhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-05-15 06:15
Preliminary investigation has shown that the filming of Chen Kaige's "The
Promise" in a remote part of Southwest China's Yunnan Province "influenced and
damaged" the area around Bigu Tianchi lake, the provincial environment watchdog
said over the weekend.
The crew of the movie may also have broken the law as they did not submit an
environmental impact report to the local department prior to constructing the
set, said Zhu Xingxiang, an official with the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA) over the weekend.
SEPA, which is seeking amendments to the current law on environmental
assessment, also hopes to add articles on the administration of movie and
TV-filming at scenic spots, he said.
The current law carries no stipulations on film shooting at scenic spots,
said Zhu, adding that the scale of the artificial set of "The Promise" was the
size of a construction project that would have needed an environmental
assessment in advance.
Data indicated that the concrete structure cost more than 2 million yuan
(US$246,600), reports said.
Preliminary investigations showed that the crew built a reinforced concrete
structure and a 300-to-400 metre-long road, and also cut dozens of square metres
of azalea flowers, said Zhu. The bureau will release the results of the
investigation soon, said the official.
Waste and wooden posts have been moved away from the site, along with the
concrete structure, but the sand and the road are still there, and the flowers
have not been replanted.
"The pristine conditions are hard to restore, even after all the clean-up
efforts have been completed," said Zhu. Reports said the filming work at Bigu
Tianchi ended in October 2004, but the clean-up efforts did not start until last
month.
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