By Rachel Chan

TAIWANESE director Wei Te-sheng's Cape No. 7 has been an unexpected hit in many ways.

Not only has the film - made with just NT$50 million (S$2.2million) and released in Taiwan in August - grossed a whopping NT$460 million in box-office takings there, it has also raked in $300,000 in Singapore in the two weeks after its release last month.

The movie, Wei's first full-length feature, also bagged six Golden Horse awards last Saturday. All the brouhaha has pushed its filming location - Hengchun, a once-sleepy village in Pingtung County - to unprecedented heights of popularity, turning it into a tourist draw.

Cape No. 7 depicts an odd bunch of Hengchun residents who form a band for a beach concert. The story also follows the romance that eventually blossoms between leading man, musician Aga (Van Fan), and angst-ridden Japanese publicist Tomoko (Chie Tanaka).

Director Wei had chosen Hengchun for the set location because of the richness of its landscape. In Hengchun, mountains can be found alongside beaches and old towns with modern resort hotels.

Wei also liked the diverse ethnic mix in the region - there, Hoklos, Hakkas, mainlanders and Taiwanese aborigines live side by side.

"It's great that Cape No. 7 is able to make Hengchun a coveted tourist spot. We anticipate the development of better sightseeing facilities there," said Wei in a recent interview with my paper.

Since Cape No. 7 opened in Taiwan's theatres, domestic tourists have overrun the seaside village, reported Taipeitimes.com

Previously, tourists in this southernmost county of Taiwan would make a beeline for Kenting National Park to attend annual music festival Spring Scream in April.

But in October, Taipei news agencies began reporting a sudden influx of tourists making detours to Hengchun. There, they ask how to get to "Aga's home".

That particular location at 90 Guangming Road has emerged as a popular tourist must-see.

The house, which was used as the rock singer character's refuge in the movie, was converted into a homestay after visitors began arriving asking to see it. It also began charging tourists an entrance fee of NT$50 for looking at "Aga's bedroom".

By last month, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau had pushed out a tour bus that ferries tourists to various set locations. More than 10 stops - including the movie's band rehearsal venue, Chateau Beach Resort in Nanwan - are on the itinerary.

Some Singaporeans are already thinking of making a trip there, too.

Ms Chua Eng Shan, 24, is thinking of travelling to Hengchun next April, just before Spring Scream.

"I love music and I like sunny Kenting," said the web designer, who has visited Taiwan's southern tip twice. "And the sea looked so beautiful in the movie."

More picture-perfect film locations LORD OF THE RINGS Hobbiton, filming location for Lord of The Rings (2001 to 2003) What: The Academy Awardwinning trilogy, based on the epic fantasy tale by J.R.R. Tolkien. Where: The movie by Peter Jackson used the mountains and forests of New Zealand as the stand-in for Middle-earth. NZ tourism companies now offer a wide range of LOTR tours in more than 10 locations. Must-visit spots: Matamata, which became Hobbiton, and the volcanic region of Mount Ruapehu, aka Mount Doom.   AMELIE (2001) What: The story of a lonely waitress (Audrey Tautou) who resolves to do good for others. Where: Filmed in the village of Montmartre, portrayed in the film as a dreamlike part of Paris untouched by modernisation. Directions to the filming locations are available online at www.montmartre-site.com Must-visit spot: Cafe des Deux Moulins, the real-life establishment where Amelie worked.   A CITY OF SADNESS, SPIRITED AWAY What: A City Of Sadness, the 1989 Taiwanese historical drama film by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Spirited Away (2001), by Hayao Miyazaki. Where: The nostalgic scenery of Chiufen in Taiwan as seen in the films charmed tourists into visiting the forgotten mountain town. Its downtown area was developed under Japanese colonial rule during the gold rush. Must-visit spot: The old streets of Chiufen, where Japanese inns have survived to this day.

rachchan@sph.com.sg

Cape No. 7 is out in cinemas.

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