South Korean director Choi Sik-min, known for his screenplay work on popular TV series, has found a favored filming location: the city of Yancheng in East China's Jiangsu province.
After filming his first short production The Drama Club in Yancheng, Choi has gone on to shoot over 20 collaborative short films there, all are coproduced by China and Republic of Korea, including The Forbidden Master, which has gained over 370 million views online to date.
Choi's favorite filming spot in the city is China-ROK International Street, also known as Dongdaemun KK-PARK, located in the Yancheng Economic and Technological Development Zone.
Inspired by the famed Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, the block in Yancheng blends streamlined modern design with traditional elements of Korean houses, creating a South Korean-style international entertainment district that integrates amusement and commerce.
Since opening in 2022, the block has positioned itself as a key South Korean cultural landmark in the Yangtze River Delta region, according to Dong Zhengxia, chairman of Jiangsu Century New City Cultural Tourism Development Company.
Its South Korean characteristics and diverse business models, including themed hotels, amusement parks, theaters and restaurants, offer a wide range of filming locations for film crews. Low costs and high efficiency of ready-made filming environments are major draws for South Korean filmmakers, Dong says.
"The filming and labor costs in the ROK are relatively high, almost three times those here," Dong explains.
Long before the cameras roll each day, golf carts are already streaking across Yancheng's emerald fairways. Ryu Ku-keun, president of Yancheng's South Korean chamber of commerce, quipped that in ROK, the three best-known Chinese destinations are Zhangjiajie (in Hunan province), Shanghai and Yancheng.
"Zhangjiajie is for sightseeing, Shanghai is for shopping, and Yancheng is where South Korean golfers come to swing," Ryu says.
