'Prove another park inspired Avatar and we'll give you £10,000': Chinese national forest issues challenge as rival province claims it was true source of film



Managers at Zhangjiajie National Forest, Hunan Province, claim their sandstone pillars were inspiration for 'Hallelujah Mountains' on Pandora

Rivals at the Yellow Mountain Range in southern Anhui province in eastern China, beg to differ

Both parks have seen 80% rise in visitor numbers since film was released

A Chinese national park has put up a £10,000 reward to anybody who can prove that it was NOT the inspiration behind Hollywood blockbuster Avatar.

Managers at Zhangjiajie National Forest , Hunan Province, claim their spectacular sandstone pillars were the inspiration for the 'Hallelujah Mountains' on Pandora, the film's densely forested moon setting.

However, they already face a challenge from bitter rival Huangshan, the Yellow Mountain Range in southern Anhui province in eastern China, which claims it was the true source of the film.

Does the award for Avatar inspiration go to Zhangjiajie National Forest...

War of words: Managers at Zhangjiajie National Forest claim their spectacular sandstone pillars were clearly the inspiration for the 'Hallelujah Mountains' on Pandora, the film's densely forested moon setting

... or the Yellow Mountain Range?

Huangshan's Yellow Mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China strengthened their claim when the film's director James Cameron said he had based the mountains on their site

Could it be? Rivals at the Yellow Mountain Range beg to differ



Stunning: Both parks have seen a rise in visitor numbers since the film was released



As both claim to have been the source for Avatar's Hallelujah Mountains (below)

And from the film: The Hollywood rendering of the mountains in James Cameron's blockbuster film Avatar

Zhangjiajie spokesman Jian Su said: 'Give us a pic of a place with a better claim and we will pay up the money the same day, but we are not worried because we are the real inspiration for the film.'

But rivals at Huangshan were able to strengthen their claim when the film's director James Cameron said he had in fact based the mountains on their site.

The area also has peculiarly shaped granite peaks and is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature.

However, staff at the Zhangjiajie tourism office pointed out that film producers had been to their park to take pictures and study the mountains in advance of the film.





Now where have I seen this before: The mountain previously known as the 'Southern Sky Column' in China, which has now been named the 'Avatar Hallelujah Mountain'

Its 3,544ft Southern Sky Column is one of 3,000 in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and they claim was the inspiration for the magical 'floating peaks' in James Cameron's film.

To further cement their claim, Zhangjiajie tourism bosses changed the name of the Qiankun Pillar to Hallelujah Mountain and started to cash in with Avatar souvenirs, and later naming other attractions after parts of the film.

As to what the visitors think - both parks have said they have seen an 80 per cent rise in visitor numbers since the film was screened.

Misty eyed: There are 3,000 in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park which certainly resemble the magical 'floating peaks' in James Cameron's film

Cashing in: To further cement their claim, despite opposition the Zhangjiajie tourism bosses changed the name of the Qiankun Pillar into Hallelujah Mountain and started to cash in with Avatar souvenirs, and later naming other attractions after parts of the film

Picturesque: Staff at the Zhangjiajie tourism office however pointed to the fact that producers from the film makers had been to Wulingyuan to take pictures and study the mountains in advance of the film

Avatar became the highest grossing film of all time after its release in 2009, beating Titanic, also directed by James Cameron, off the top spot

The action-adventure movie, starring Sigourney Weaver, is set in 2154 and tells the tale of a disabled ex-Marine sent to Earth to infiltrate a race of 10ft (3m) blue aliens and persuade them to let his employer mine their homeland for natural resources.

The film took more than five years to make and was reportedly one of the most expensive films, with a budget of at least $300 million.

It wowed both critics and fans, winning a Golden Globe as well as three Oscars.



Record breaker: Avatar became the highest grossing film of all time after its release in 2009, beating Titanic, also directed by James Cameron, off the top spot

Remote: The South Hunan region is home to the so-called 'Avatar' mountains in the Zhangjiajie National Forest

