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How you can visit the real Pandora of Avatar
If you're like the depressives who lament the fact that they can't actually download their consciousnesses into Na'vi aliens a la Avatar—or you'd simply like to see the landscape that inspired James Cameron's awe-inspiring Pandora—China wants you to know the real Pandora is in Hunan Province.
And they're renaming one of their mountains in honor of the movie.
The Daily Telegraph reports:
Tourism chiefs in central China have moved to cash in on the smash-hit popularity of James Cameron's sci-fi epic Avatar by renaming a peak the "Hallelujah Mountain" after the floating rocks in the film.A 1,074-metre tall (3,523ft) column of rock in the Wulingyuan Scenic Zone in Hunan Province previously known as the Southern Sky Column was re-christened in a special ceremony this week involving hundreds of local people dressed in the region's ethnic Tujia costumes.
The park, a World Natural Heritage site, formed part of the inspiration for the floating mountains in the film, which this week officially become China's most popular film, grossing more than $100m at the box office.
Cameron's designers have acknowledged basing Pandora's floating mountains in part on the Chinese mountains.
"Pandora is far, but Zhangjiajie is near," Song Zhiguang, director of the Yuanjiajie Scenic Spot Administration, told the official Xinhua news agency. "Tourists are welcome to the 'Miracle tour to Avatar's floating mountains.'"
Are you ready to take a trip?
By Trevor at 6:04 PM ON 01/27/10
Oh china, you guys are so the highest and first jumper onto the band wagon.
By IronOre at 6:31 PM ON 01/27/10
But where are the flying things and the large blue people riding on them? And where do I pick up my own blue person body? I'm so confused...
By Hari Seldon at 7:10 PM ON 01/27/10
@IronOre I guess that comes when you purchase the Complete Tour
By Jason at 8:44 PM ON 01/27/10
I was reminded of several of the ages of Myst. I have played all of the Myst games and Pandora reminded me of the ages of Edana, Spire, Voltaic and Haven.
By TOTS at 3:05 AM ON 01/28/10
ugh, kill yourselves... now
By syberis at 4:21 AM ON 01/28/10
The first time I saw pictures of the floating mountains in Avatar, I was reminded of the world in Larry Niven"s books "The Smoke Ring" and "The Integral Trees"
By TOTS at 4:26 AM ON 01/28/10
@ syberis:
as if that's the only part of the movie that was unoriginal... lol
By Simon124 at 6:03 AM ON 01/28/10
I always thought it was artist Roger Dean's 'Floating Islands'..
By ju ju bee at 7:36 AM ON 01/28/10
World of Warcraft = floating islands in Nagrand. Looks exactly like them.
By Kinetic at 9:10 AM ON 01/28/10
"Simpsons did it!"
By Meezer at 10:19 AM ON 01/28/10
I am so disappointed. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the tag on my Avatar "Hallelujah Mountain" playset and it said Made in China. I'm usually more careful when I shop.
By rtavi at 3:50 PM ON 01/28/10
Yes but these will have additional added attractions. For a fee you can throw dissidents off the top and see if human rights protesters, christian missionaries or Tibetans hit the ground first.
By Tekzel at 8:30 PM ON 01/30/10
My guess would be the christian missionaries... They are weighted down by all that self loathing from reading the bible all the time.
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Tekzel:
My guess would be the christian missionaries... They are weighted down by all that self loathing from reading the b...More »