Pingtan provides setting for wuxia drama

Ma, so far, has yet to catch sight of the rare phenomenon, but still spoke highly of the city's views.

"Pingtan's sea is very beautiful and it has pristine beaches," he commented.

Qi Wei plays Jade King in the New Dragon Gate Inn and enjoyed eating various seafood dishes in Pingtan.

"I ate a lot of seafood such as sea snails, shrimps and crabs at the hotel," Qi said, adding that the visit to Pingtan reminded her of filming in Xiamen, another seaside city in Fujian province.

"Every time I come to Fujian, I shall definitely enjoy barbecues and seafood, as they are my favorites," she said.

Ma Ke (left) and Qi Wei (right) take part in an interview about New Dragon Gate Inn which they both star in. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Pingtan has been gradually emerging as a popular destination for shooting movies, TV series and reality shows in recent years. New Dragon Gate Inn is not the first TV drama to be shot in Pingtan –– a 60-episode TV drama based on the life of Teresa Teng is also currently being shot in the city.

It is hoped that these big-budget productions will further improve the city's reputation across the country, giving further impetus to development of its tourism industry as it builds itself into an international tourism island.