Yesterday marked the last day movie fans could personally experience the set of Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale in New Taipei City (新北市), where some of the pivotal scenes in the film were shot.
Due to serious damage caused by red fire ants to the wooden structures, the New Taipei City Government, which has been managing the site since it was donated by the film’s producers, decided to shut down the set at 6pm yesterday amid safety concerns.
“The decision came after assessments by architects,” the city’s cultural affairs officials said.
They ruled out relocating the set, given the state of damage of the wooden structures.
Many fans have expressed disappointment and sadness over the closure of the site on the movie’s Facebook page.
Opened to the public in September last year, the film set recreated a street and school from a central Taiwan town where Sediq Aborigines staged an uprising against Japanese colonial rulers in 1930.
Taiwan was a colony of Japan from 1895 to 1945.
The 3.5 hectares set was built on a hill in a suburb of Linkou District (林口) for NT$80 million (US$2.64 million) by a Japanese arts production team led by Yohei Taneda.
Before the set was shut down, visitors could stroll on the main street and walk into some of the Japanese-style wooden houses, where the main characters left their footprints.
Many of the 36 houses are adorned with props, such as old books and household accessories, to recreate scenes in the movie.
“The structures will be dismantled after the site is closed,” the officials said, adding that the props would be returned to the company that produced the film.
Capitalizing on the popularity of the movie, the site had attracted more than 370,000 visitors as of Sunday, about 10 percent of whom came from other countries, the city government said.
Most of the foreign visitors were from Hong Kong, Macau, Japan and the US, the city government said.
“Japanese visitors to the site appear to have felt the deepest sentiments,” officials said.
Over the past few months, the movie and the set have played an integral role in enhancing Taiwan’s historical and cultural education. The set has also helped promote local cinema and the tourism industry, officials said.
The NT$700 million film was well-received in Taiwan, taking in NT$23 million when it debuted on Sept. 9 last year, the most any Taiwanese film has made on its opening day. To date, it has grossed NT$880 million in Taiwan.
Besides being a hit domestically, the movie has received favorable reviews around the world. Many countries, including Australia, France, New Zealand, the UK and the US, have bought the movie rights.
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