The world's largest film studio, China's eastern Zhejiang-based Hengdian World Studio, unveiled on Monday it plans to produce 100-hours of television drama per year and 10 movies in the next three to five years with Hong Kong Salon Films Company.

"The Hengdian backlot holds China's A-class settings for movie production," said Liu Zhijiang, Hengdian World Studio president assistant, adding the move will bring in more opportunities for overseas producers who want to explore the market in China.

Wang Changyu, chairman of Hong Kong-based Salon Films Company, echoed Liu's words, saying the company is introducing leading international entertainment productions to China including Singapore's MediaCorp Raintree Picture, Japan's Yoshimoto Kogyo Company and Canada's Medio Plus Group.

"We decided to join hands with Hengdian as we see potentials and openings in this transitional period in China's movie industry and Hengdian is the reliable partner we are looking for," said Wang.

"Hengdian's biggest advantage lies in the cheap labor and the complete service system, ranging from crew selection, stage properties to accommodation and post-production services," said Liu, who also reveals a prospective joint investment in a filmmaking digital center.

Being the world's largest film studio, Hengdian is famous for its 18 sets for Chinese films and television dramas as well as TV commercials. The list includes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by Ang Lee, Warlords by Peter Chen, Hero by Zhang Yimou and The Promise by Chen Kaige.

The shooting base, dubbed China's Hollywood, which has evolved from a poverty-stricken village to a collection of replica palaces, temples and historical streets in just ten years, is currently better-known for the controversial Yuanmingyuan reconstruction, the full-size imperial garden replica to be built in Hengdian at an estimated cost of 20 billion yuan (2.7 billion U.S. dollars).

(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2008)