Flying Over Xinghua: BBC StoryWorks Commercial Content Team Creates Tourism Promotional Video for Xinghua

Gliding over Xinghua with a camera, admiring the world-renowned "duotian" (raised field) landscape, spotting birds atop the water forest, and experiencing well-preserved cultural heritage sites...

This Xinghua tourism promotional video was produced by the BBC StoryWorks commercial content team for the Xinghua Bureau of Culture, Sports, Broadcasting, Television and Tourism. It is reported that this short film adopts a special perspective—aerial footage overlooking Xinghua—to present the city’s unique scenery and the story of its protagonist, hang glider pilot Mu Hongbin, and his passion for flight from a distinctive angle to a global audience.

Xinghua is a county-level city under Taizhou City in Jiangsu Province, located in central Jiangsu. It boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage and is recognized as a Jiangsu Province all-for-one tourism demonstration zone, a national ecological demonstration zone, and a national health city. Famous tourist attractions include Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area, Lizhong Water Forest, and Xumahuang Ecological Scenic Area.

"Duo" (raised field) is a unique agricultural landscape in the Lixiahe region. Xinghua's Qianduo Scenic Area resembles islands in the sea, forming terraced earth mounds rising from the water. To defend against floods, the ancestors built up earth to create these raised fields. Cultivating on these mounds resulted in distinctively layered duotian fields. The Qianduo Scenic Area is a globally important agricultural heritage site and a four-star rural tourism attraction in Jiangsu Province. In the film, the camera sweeps over duotian fields where rapeseed flowers flourish, offering a unique aerial perspective that captures the water town’s landscape in full view.

When viewing Lizhong Water Forest from above, the most striking feature is the dense green canopy of treetops and thousands of birds. The unique design used in the promotional video presents a very different water forest landscape, with long channels and slowly entering boats forming a composition of orderly beauty. In recent years, to better leverage the advantages of its wetlands, Xinghua has adhered to a development path that supports its reputation as a land of fish and rice, strictly controlling industrial pollution and maintaining good hydrological conditions. The Xumahuang Ecological Scenic Area retains its pristine natural landscape, with a variety of wild animals inhabiting the wetlands. Xinghua shows respect for nature in its pursuit of sustainable development.

The film’s protagonist, Mu Hongbin, is a native of Xinghua and a hang glider pilot. He has experienced countless flights of all sizes, but what gives him the greatest pride is flying over his beautiful hometown, Xinghua. Mu Hongbin enjoys every flight over Xinghua, considering them fresh and beautiful memories. "Every flight is a brand new one; no two flights are the same," he says.

To enhance Xinghua’s brand image and recognition in the international market, the Xinghua Bureau of Culture, Sports, Broadcasting, Television and Tourism specially invited the BBC StoryWorks commercial content team to produce a tourism promotional video. After more than half a year of field research and content preparation, the current filming plan was finalized, edited into a 2-minute-57-second short video format that better suits current audience preferences. Through this short video, tourists can comprehensively appreciate the wonderful aspects of Xinghua, which blend cultural heritage, beautiful nature, and more.