filthy bastards

What is it with film crews and their inability to clean up after themselves? The crew of the new Romance of the Three Kingdoms has left a hell of a mess at the reservoir where they were filming at the Yangxi Reservoir in Zhejiang, according to this Xinhua report in today’s 新京报/The Beijing News. And no, it’s not just a case of making a mess, but also of endangering the drinking water supply for the nearly 300 thousand local residents. The reservoir management refused the request to film there several times, fearing for the safety of the reservoir, but the crew were insistent, and eventually they reached an agreement:

“但是剧组再三要求，考虑到剧组影响力较大，对永康和库区能起到宣传作用，就勉强答应了。”黄兴法告诉记者，为了确保水资源的安全，双方还签署了协议，协议中说明剧组从搭建场地时起每天支付租金300元，还要交2万元押金，一旦影响环境就要扣押金。

“But the film crew demanded again and again, and thinking that they had quite some power to influence, that they could put Yongkang and the reservoir area on the map, we reluctantly agreed.” Huang Xingfa [director of the reservoir management bureau] told this reporter that to guarantee the safety of the water resource, both parties signed an agreement saying that from the time the crew started setting up its location it would pay only 300 yuan per day as rent, but would also pay 20 thousand yuan deposit which would be kept if there were any effect on the environment.

Alright, sounds fair enough, but then:

记者了解到，在拍摄期间，杨溪水库周围除了堆积如山的塑料饭盒、酒瓶甚至粪便等生活垃圾外，由于拍摄交战的 夜戏，现场还弥漫着浓重的柴油味，水中也有小部分黑色漂浮物。幸好没有下雨，大部分油污还没有进入杨溪水库。而在此之前，保护杨溪水库的水源不受污染一直 是当地村民引以为傲的职责。“村里投资20多万元建起生活污水净化沼气工程，每家每户都做到了生活污水达标排放。”黄兴法说。

This reporter learnt that during filming, as well as the domestic waste like plastic food boxes, wine bottles and even excrement and urine, that piled up like mountains, because they were filming night battle scenes, a heavy smell of diesel pervades the scene around the Yangxi Reservoir, and there’s a small amount of black stuff floating in the water. Fortunately it hasn’t rained, and most of the oil pollution hasn’t entered the Yangxi Reservoir, and before this, the Yangxi Reservoir has not been polluted because the local villagers see protecting the water resources as their proud duty. “Over 200 thousand yuan was invested in building a domestic sewage treatment and methane project, and every household has reached the domestic sewage emission standard,” said Huang Xingfa.

对于剧组的违约行为，水库管理局决定没收押金，要求剧组立即清理垃圾并再次缴纳2万元押金，一旦再次违约，将用这笔钱来彻底清理垃圾；另外，管理局还督促剧组加快拍摄进度，最晚在本月19日之前清理现场并撤离。

As for the film crew’s breach of its promise, the reservoir management bureau has decided to seize the deposit, and demands that the crew immediately clean up their rubbish and pay another 20 thousand yuan deposit in case it of another breach of the agreement, and will use this money to thoroughly clean up the rubbish. Also, the management bureau will supervise the crew’s faster filming schedule and wants them to clean up the scene and leave by the 19th at the latest.

黄兴法还说，今后杨溪水库将不再接受任何影视剧组在此拍摄。

Huang Xingfa also said that from now on the Yangxi Reservoir will not accept any more film crews filming here.

Notes:

1. I don’t get the “水库管理局决定没收押金”, it seems all backwards to me. Does it mean they won’t return the deposit to the film crew? Or are they insisting they never received the deposit? Or are they magnanimously not keeping the deposit so long as the crew cleans up? Or what? Fixed, thanks Duncan.
2. There’s no indication the reporter, 段菁菁/Duan Jingjing, sought the film crew’s version of events.
   
3. See? You just went and screwed it up for everyone! Now nobody gets to use the beautiful reservoir with its lack of modern structures.
4. And I would’ve thought that Chen Kaige’s little episode down in Yunnan would’ve taught everybody a lesson. This kind of nonsense is no longer considered acceptable behaviour.