A still image of "Macau Family". [Photo/Douban]

TV series "Macau Family" (Ao Men Ren Jia) was launched on CCTV's Channel 1 on November 29. The show pays tribute to the 20th anniversary of Macau's return to China. This play, with notable performances by famous actors such as Simon Yam, Dong Jie, Ke Lan, and Jiang Shan, tells the story of the century-old Liang's Bakery located in Sanwan Xiejie Street, an old thoroughfare in Macau.

On the afternoon of December 10, Xu Xianhui, the chairman of Guangdong Xuri Huihuang Film and Television Culture Co Ltd, the unit assisting in the shooting of the play in Zhongshan, said that in order to accurately reproduce the style and features of Macau's old city sections, the crew had spent more than two months building and rebuilding several street landscapes. For the filming of "Macau Family", this was done at the Zhongshan Studio City.

At the same time, the crew also filmed on Zhongshan Pedestrian Street and in Zimaling Park. "Overall, there are about 40 to 50 main scenes in this play, of which 80% were filmed in Zhongshan and 70% at the Zhongshan Studio City. Some other scenes were shot in Macau, Zhuhai and Beijing," Xu said.

Simon Yam, one of the leading stars, has a close tie to Zhongshan. He has also taken part in "The Thunder" which was filmed in Zhongshan last year. It is reported that Simon Yam loves Zhongshan cuisine very much. When filming "Macau Family", he was often recognized by diners while enjoying his restaurant meals. His presence attracted fans to take photos with him.

It is expected that this growth in the filming of TV and movies will correspond to new growth for Zhongshan's cultural industry. According to data from Xuri Huihuang, more than 60 movies and TV plays have been filmed in Zhongshan within the past ten years or so.