CHINA will restrict filming and artistic performances in nature reserves and scenic spots, the government said during the weekend.

The move follows a public outcry that began last year after director Chen Kaige damaged a scenic spot in Shangri-La, in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, while making his US$42 million film “The Promise.”

The new regulation was jointly issued by the State Environmental Protection Administration, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

The regulation said “some big-budget films and artistic performances these years are over-obsessed with economic returns, and have greatly damaged natural environment. Thus, film shooting and artistic performances in natural reserves, scenic spots and sites of historic interest must be strictly restricted,” Xinhua reported.

Some filming and artistic performances will happen only with approval from the authorities in “experimental zones of nature reserves, outer sections of scenic spots and some cultural heritage sites.”

Violators of the regulation, which covers about 15 percent of China’s land, will be dealt with harshly.

Last year, Chen was fined 90,000 yuan (US$11,250) for littering and destroying vegetation in Shangri-La.

(SD-Agencies)