In case you haven't been paying attention, Avatar's kind of a big deal in China.

In brief: it's the mainland's biggest selling film of all time; gave rise to the most expensive tickets on the planet; was accused of carrying a subversive message; was then banned in 2D; and described as a "complete defeat for Chinese filmmakers".

The trouble is, this here's a travel site, so finding an excuse to write about all the hype has been hard. Last week we linked to photos showing the monster lines for tickets at one cinema in Shanghai, but there was no travel angle to really sink our teeth into. Until now.

Courtesy of Reuters we learn that a mountain in southern China's Hunan province was yesterday renamed the "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain." According to the (Chinese only) local government website, the Southern Pillar of Heaven in Zhangjiajie was the inspiration for the floating mountains featured in the film. A Hollywood photographer spent four days shooting there in 2008, and his images were later used when it came to designing the look of the film's off-world moon Pandora. (This after some earlier confusion, in which director James Cameron named the better-known Huang Shan as his source, but was put right by an eager netizen.)

Local authorities hope the renaming will help them capitalize on the film's incredible popularity with both domestic and foreign audiences. As they're quick to point out, "Pandora is very far, but Zhangjiajie is near." (Two hours flight from Shanghai, two-and-a-half from Beijing, in fact.)

Regarding accusations that it's somehow crass to name a mountain after a film, or even unpatriotic when that film's American, local officials stand firm: "We are simply trying to be accomodating to people's wishes...The beauty of Zhangjiajie doesn't only belong to the Chinese people, it belongs to the whole world." (How dare you say these guys are all about the money? In a separate post they offer Cameron and his family free entry for life.)

Zhangjiajie was hardly off the beaten track before this—the surrounding Wulingyaun Scenic Area is one of China's UNESCO World Heritage Sites—but it'll be interesting to see how they handle what will surely be an onslaught of visitors to rival the marines that invade Pandora in the film itself. Though here, at least, they'll be welcomed with open arms.

If you fancy taking a "Magical Tour of Avatar-Pandora," we recommend going in April or October, when the weather is at its best.

For more in-depth analysis of the Avatar phenom, The China Beat has a couple of great pieces: The Tao of Avatar—and why this sort of movie cannot be made in the PRC at this time and The Political Economy of China's Avatar Adventure.