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A Chinese film crew has taken over an 18th-century French vineyard in one of the world’s most-famous wine regions to shoot a sequel to a beloved TV series. “Cherish Our Love Forever” was a big hit in the Asian country over a decade ago.

Until now the picturesque region of Bordeaux was virtually unknown in China as a film location.

Yet 12 years after the hit TV series ended its hit run on Chinese television, the follow-up sees its two star-crossed lovers reunited far from the bustle of Beijing in the sun-dappled wine hills of southwest France.

“They were looking for something picturesque, classical, old stones, countryside — basically everything that’s typically French in their eyes,” David Hurst of Dublin productions said.

In the tale of dashed dreams and unrequited love, the character played by Chinese actress Xu Jinglei, now a decade older, is trapped in a troubled marriage to a Chinese wine estate owner.

Leading man Li Yapeng plays her one-time lover, while Mandarin pop sensation He Jie co-stars as the mistress of Xu’s winegrower husband.

The two-week shooting schedule took in some of the region’s most beautiful scenery — the medieval wine village of Saint Emilion, the dramatic dune of Pyla and the quiet elegance of historic Bordeaux.

For the rest of the shoot — one third of which took place in France, two thirds in China — they used the vineyards and chateaux of a local wine family, the Gonets, to bring the life of a wealthy Bordeaux vintner to life.

“Wine estates, castles, life in a chateau seems so far away for us. To see how wine estate owners live — it’s beyond what I imagined,” Xu said.

Local chateau owners rolled out the red carpet for the stars and director, initiating them to a centuries-old local wine association called Connetable before celebrating over a dinner of spit-roasted lamb and wild boar.

“Before Bordeaux was only a name, something I knew had to do with wine. I had no idea that the light, the beaches, the vineyards and the very old towns were so beautiful,” said Yibai Zhang, the movie’s director.

But just as the series’ protagonists have changed in 12 years, so has China, with the country of 1.33 billion becoming the most important export market for Bordeaux wine after Europe.

Fine wines are seen as a byword for romance by urban Chinese consumers, and Bordeaux is now synonymous with a sophisticated, upwardly mobile lifestyle.

“When Chinese people think of red wine, they think of Bordeaux,” said Yapeng, also a co-producer of the movie.

The project received support from the local film commission while the French Embassy in Beijing helped with the visas, in the hope it could spur trade and tourism in a region that currently draws few Chinese visitors.

“I want to show the beauty of the city and wine, and introduce this to China,” said Zhang, who is already thinking of new projects he can set against the backdrop of Bordeaux.

Shooting in France, however, has not come without pleasant adjustments.

Crews in China work seven days a week, are on call 24 hours a day, and eat on the run. French crews work regular hours, rest on Sundays and break an hour for lunch.

“Filming in France is very pleasant. In China we film non-stop,” said Jie. “Here it’s calmer, we have the time to sit down and have a quiet cup of coffee.”

How the 35-person crew, three stars and their entourage, ended up in Bordeaux came down to a mix of chance and business.

The producers initially planned to film in an Australian winery, but like a growing number of Chinese entrepreneurs, they had become involved in the business of importing wine.

On a trip to Bordeaux in search of a chateau to buy, they met the Gonet family, seventh-generation Champagne producers and owners of several estates in Bordeaux, who hosted the shoot in exchange for publicity in China’s exploding wine market.

Charles-Henri Gonet’s personal home, the Chateau Haut-Bacalan, dates back to the Enlightenment, but will be known in China as the backdrop for a romance that hopes to reach an audience of millions.

Wine product placement has had intoxicating results in the past, with the box-office hit “Sideways” credited with boosting sales of Pinot Noir.

And James Bond, known by generations to prefer martinis and vintage Bollinger Champagne, recently created a stir amongst spy-loving oenophiles when he uncorked Chateau Angelus in “Casino Royale.” 


Agence France-Presse