Location shooting and set-building

The house with the cow grazing on the porch roof. The mountain village with tiled rooftops. The village elders gathered in the small square to present the coming-of-age outfits to the young boys. This all reeked of authentic and natural scenery that hadn't been built for a movie. I loved that the house featured in the climax, in all its honest charm, without being blown up or totally destroyed. This was like a real village in a real far-off time and place. Many congratulations to the cinematographer and location managers for providing the director with such a beautiful backdrop.

How much of this is a real location? How much is an artificial creation made for shooting movies? Where is it located? Is it in Shichuan? That waterfall was an amazing natural beauty, but do the buildings really exist?