Following the reel road

Producer Fan Wen says preparation for the series began in November last year, with each 15-minute episode distilled from more than eight hours of footage filmed over a single day.

"We want to showcase the unique appeal of travel and culture, covering as many perspectives as possible. We hope the program can become a welcoming window for foreigners to develop an interest in and learn more about the country," she says, adding that celebrity participation also helps expand the show's domestic influence.

Results suggest the strategy is working. Guangdong authorities say related initiatives have generated more than 1.18 billion yuan ($163 million) in gross merchandise value from 16.59 million orders on Douyin, where the show and its affiliated content are streamed.

The province's cultural and tourism momentum was also evident during the recent May Day holiday, when Guangdong ranked as the highest-grossing province, earning 138 million yuan — about 20 percent of the country's total film ticket revenues — between May 1 and 5. Two of the holiday's most acclaimed releases — Cold War 1994 and Dear You — both have strong ties to Guangdong, further reinforcing the link between screen culture and tourism.

Cold War 1994, the prequel and third installment in the long-running franchise, held its global premiere in Shenzhen ahead of the holiday. The event brought together a star-studded cast including Chow Yun-fat, Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Daniel Wu, while its original Cantonese dubbing stirred nostalgia for the golden age of Hong Kong cinema.

Meanwhile, Dear You delves into a 40-year-old family secret shaped by the hardships faced by overseas laborers from the Chaoshan region. The film has resonated strongly with local audiences, vividly capturing the region's distinctive traditions, architecture and everyday life in Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang.

In an earlier interview, Leung recalled his long connection with the province, having filmed multiple projects there, including the action blockbuster The Shadow's Edge, which earned him his fifth Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. "Guangdong has always been one of the country's most important movie markets. Its landscapes, hospitality and warmth have found their way into many films and television dramas," he said.

With "set-jetting" — traveling to real-world locations featured on screen — emerging as a popular trend, the production team plans to lean further into the concept in the show's second season. "Travel with movies" will serve as a central theme, according to Fan.

Several well-known productions already offer inspiration. Zhang Yimou's espionage thriller Scare Out was filmed among Shenzhen's skyscrapers; Jia Ling shot jogging sequences for her directorial debut YOLO in Dongguan; and actor Zhang Songwen filmed a memorable scene eating pig's knuckle noodles in Jiangmen for the hit series The Knockout.

"We plan to invite young actors to take on roles such as director, screenwriter or cinematographer to re-create some classic scenes, and hope to give audiences a stronger sense of connection and resonance," she says.