"The Kunlun Mountains are located in Xinjiang!"

"Is Yuxu Palace in Xinjiang’s Qira County?"

Recently, the box office of "Ne Zha 2" has continued to soar, breaking the Hollywood monopoly in the global list of 10 highest-grossing films. It has become the first Asian film to enter the top 25 of the global box office chart, and the record is still being continuously created.

Photo shows the poster for "Ne Zha 2."

While the entire internet is going wild with excitement for Ne Zha, who at just "three years old" has already achieved the status of a "billion-yuan box office star," audience in Xinjiang have a unique sense of excitement in the theaters. They have discovered many cleverly integrated local elements from their hometowns in the film.

Photo taken from the film "Ne Zha 2."

So what are the details about Xinjiang in the film?

Wonderful Yuxu Palace

Natural inspiration from the Kunlun Mountains in Xinjiang’s Qira County

In the film, every frame of the Yuxu Palace is so beautiful that people can't help but want to take a screenshot and set it as wallpaper. Many netizens from Xinjiang marvel that the Yuxu Palace is like the scenery at their hometown. That's right! This fairyland palace is inspired by the mysterious Kunlun Mountains in Xinjiang.

Photo taken from the film played on IMAX.

When the lens slowly passes over the snow-covered mountains and glaciers that do not melt all the year round, and across the jade-rich mine and mountain range, the verisimilitude of 3D special effects seems to make people forget reality. They reach out as if to catch the snow falling gently in the virtual world, indulging in this unparalleled visual feast.

Photo taken from the film "Ne Zha 2."

The stunning scenes that have amazed people are located in Qira County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The dreamlike Yuxu Palace closely resembles the natural "palace complex" formed by giant quartzite in the Kunlun Mountains scenic area of Qira County, which have been weathered over hundreds of millions of years.

Kunlun Mountain is also known as Kunlunxu, Kunlun Hill or Yu Mountain.

The Kunlun Mountains extend from the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau in the west, traverse Xinjiang and Tibet, and stretch into Qinghai Province. They are approximately 2,500 kilometers long, with an average elevation of 5,500 to 6,000 meters. The width of the range varies from 130 to 200 kilometers. The total area covered by the Kunlun Mountains is over 500,000 square kilometers.

The Kunlun Mountains' magnificent natural scenery remarkably matches the film's setting of being the "Ancestor of All Mountains." The art team of the movie "Ne Zha 2" once visited this place for inspiration. They replicated the rock patterns as the carvings of the Yuxu Palace. Even the design of the "Nine-Curved Corridor" in front of the hall was inspired by the meandering melt water from the glaciers in the mountains.

Photo by online influencer Taoshu.

In "Ne Zha 2," the Yuxu Palace is a palace made of white jade, which is intoxicating and mesmerizing. Some netizens from Xinjiang have commented, "Could the jade used in Yuxu Palace be made from Hotan jade?"

Hotan jade also has intricate connections with ancient Chinese mythology. Recording in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Kunlun Mountains, as an important geographical landmark in ancient legend, was regarded as the earthly capital. According to legend, the remaining five-colored stones used by Nüwa (a goddess in Chinese mythology) to mend the sky were scattered across the Kunlun Mountains and transformed into Hotan jade.

Photo shows Hotan jade carving work "Lotus-shaped White Jade Pot."

If you want to see the same Kunlun Mountains as in "Ne Zha 2" and experience the beauty of the Yuxu Palace, you must visit Qira County in Hotan Prefecture. Specifically, the Xinjiang Kunlun Mountains scenic area awaits, ready to offer you an unforgettable journey.

Marmots make a bow with hands folded in front

Residents of the grassland in Xinjiang

In addition to the thrilling and dramatic storyline, "Ne Zha 2" also features a variety of animal characters with great charm, which leave a deep impression on the audience. Among them, the scene where Ne Zha battles marmots is particularly memorable.

Photo shows cute marmots in "Ne Zha 2."

The endearingly cute appearance perfectly matches the image of a marmot in people’s minds, making the character more vivid and interesting. Previously, the director of the film even dubbed the voice for the marmot leader in the movie, endowing the character with a more distinct personality and vitality.

Photo shows a marmot and her pups snuggle up to each other in a cave at Barluk Mountain in Tacheng Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Although marmots are quite famous, the term "marmot" is not actually the name of a specific animal species but rather a common name for a category of animals. Typically, when we refer to marmots, we are actually talking about "groundhogs." According to introductions, there are four species of marmots found worldwide that live in China. In Xinjiang, the main species include Marmota baibacina, long-tailed marmot, and Marmota himalayana.

Photo shows a marmot wakes up from hibernation and runs out of its burrow of Wusun Mountain in Zhaosu County, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

On the grasslands of Altay, Ili, Tacheng, and other regions in Xinjiang, they can often be seen. However, they are listed as one of the three hazards of the grassland for gnawing on roots and spreading plague.

Photo by "Ne Zha 2."

In recent years, with the continuous improvement of the ecological environment, the populations of various wild animals, including marmots, have been increasing year by year. As a result, tourists have more opportunities to see marmots on the grasslands.

However, humans lack natural immunity to the plague. Any direct contact with rodents, marmots, or other animals, as well as eating their meat or carrying their fur, can greatly increase the risk of contracting the plague. Therefore, when traveling to the grasslands, people should avoid contact with dead rodents (including marmots), hares, foxes, wolves, dogs, cats, and other animals.

The Dragon Palace of the Western Sea may be in Xinjiang’s Bosten Lake

In the movie, the image of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the Western Sea, subverts the tradition by making a stunning appearance as a female antagonist. Her unique charm has become one of the highlights of the film.

Photo by "Ne Zha 2."

But in fact, this IP, the Dragon King of the Western Sea in Chinese mythology, which has lived for thousands of years in Chinese civilization, also has a rather deep origin and connection with Xinjiang.

Photo shows Bosten Lake in Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

According to reports, Bosten Lake, located in Bohu County, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was anciently called the "Western Sea" and is described in the classic novel Journey to the West as the location of the Dragon Palace of the Western Sea. This largest inland freshwater lake in China is renowned for its magnificent scenery.

There is also a legend about the Dragon King of the Western Sea in that place. It is said that one year, there was a great drought. The grass withered, and many cattle and sheep perished. Seeing the suffering of the people, the Dragon King of the Western Sea could not bear to watch. Without regard for his own safety or the security of the Dragon Palace, he swallowed two-thirds of the water from the Western Sea and sprayed it all over the vast grasslands, saving countless lives. As a result, the Dragon King of the Western Sea had to live in a small lake.

Film enterprises in Xinjiang

Ne Zha 2 is a superb production featuring a number of outstanding production companies. Recently, the special effects director of the film said in response that most of the content of the film is led by a team from Chengdu Kekedou Animation Film and Television Co., Ltd., and the core creator is also in this company.

Kekedou refers to one of the producers of the film, Chengdu Kekedou Animation Film and Television Co., Ltd.

According to Tianyancha Application, Chengdu Kekedou Animation Film and Television Co., Ltd is wholly-owned by Horgos Kekedou Animation Film and Television Co., Ltd. The director of "Ne Zha 2" holds as high as a 56 percent stake in Horgos Kekedou Animation Film and Television Co., Ltd.

Photo shows Horgos City, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Horgos Kekedou Animation Film and Television Co., Ltd. was established in November 2015, at the peak period when Horgos City attracted a large number of film and television enterprises due to its tax advantages. At that time, Horgos City, with the tax preferential policies granted by the state and its business-friendly environment, caught the attention of many film and television production companies. Chengdu Kekedou Animation Film and Television Co., Ltd., as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Horgos Kekedou Animation Film and Television Co., Ltd., was also born in this context.

This cross-regional corporate layout not only demonstrates the vision of film and television production companies but also promotes the exchange and cooperation of the film and television industries between Xinjiang and outside, injecting new vitality into the development of Xinjiang's film and television culture. Meanwhile, the success of "Ne Zha 2" has further enhanced the reputation and influence of Horgos as a hub for the film and television industry.

(Source: CCTV News, The Paper, Encyclopedia Exploration, China Science Communication, Xinjiang is a good place, Xinjiang Library)