DreamWorks Returns to Thank Chengdu for Inspiration

CHENGDU, China, May 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Kung Fu Panda 2's production designer Raymond Zibach traveled Chengdu this week to visit key sites featured in the movie, sites that inspired the production of the first Kung Fu Panda film. "I was so delighted and moved by Mt. Qingcheng that I insisted it be a major feature of the sequel," said Zibach. "I came back to say thank you to Chengdu."

Mt. Qingcheng's Tianran Temple appears in the final scene of the film, released globally this week. During his first visit several years ago, Zibach was in awe of Mt. Qingcheng's green landscape and how the site represents ancient Chinese architecture along with nature. The colors green and red are the dominant color scheme in Kung Fu Panda 2, with green symbolizing the harmony between wisdom and nature and the red being the official color of China, representing prosperity and celebration.

Zibach returned to Mt. Qingcheng this week to see the landscape that inspired the fictional Peace Valley depicted in the movie. Zibach also visited Chengdu's Wide and Narrow Lanes, where he experienced the city's traditional culture by eating dan dan noodles, hot pot, ma po tofu and watching a shadow show. All of the most celebrated elements of Chengdu culture are represented in Kung Fu Panda 2.

Three years ago, Zibach and director Jeffrey Katzenberg visited the Chengdu Panda Base where they met the baby panda that inspired the films. Katzenberg named him Po and used him as the model for the animated Po in the first Kung Fu Panda. Po is now a fully-grown adult and Zibach returned to Po's enclosure to visit the panda that started it all.    

"Kung Fu Panda 2 is deeply connected not only to Chengdu's giant panda, but also to the culture of the city," said a representative from the Chengdu Municipal Government. "We welcome people around the world to visit our beautiful city."

The film industry is one of the channels through which Chinese cities are promoting their city brands. For example, Tangshan in Hebei Province invested RMB60 million in the film Aftershock which was equivalent to half of the film's budget. Chengdu's cooperation with DreamWorks Studios on Kung Fu Panda 2 is a precedent in the branding practices of Chinese cities and will help Chengdu gain worldwide attention.

For photos of Raymond Zibach's Chengdu trip, please click the links below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kungfupanda2chengdu/page1/

For reference, please click the link below for an article sourcing from Hollywood Reporter:

About Chengdu

Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, is the political, economic, and cultural center of Sichuan Province. With a population of 13 million, it is the financial center of southwest China. In 2009, Chengdu was designated the main city for tourism in western China by the UN World Tourism Organization. There are five world heritage sites, including Mt. Qingcheng, the birthplace of Taoism and one of world's cultural and natural heritage sites; the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, a still-functional system built over 2,200 years ago; Leshan Giant Buddha; and Mt. Emei are all within a 300km radius of the city.

Chengdu is the hometown of the giant panda and boasts the largest number of wild giant pandas in the world. The city is home to the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding, which is the most advanced panda breeding facility in the world. Visitors to the base can watch pandas play in simulated natural environments and get close to the pandas.

CONTACT:

Liu Yulong, Chengdu Municipal Information Office, +86-28-86261098, or [email protected]

Tina Ren, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, +86-10-85206549 or [email protected]

SOURCE Chengdu Municipal Government Information Office