site.btaFirst Chinese Survivor Reality Show Filmed in Bulgarian Momchilovtsi Village

First Chinese Survivor Reality Show Filmed in Bulgarian Momchilovtsi Village


Beijing, September 12 (BTA) - The 51 members of the team who filmed the first Chinese reality show "Survivor" in Bulgaria, experienced the charm of the Balkan country, and contributed to the revitalization of the local economy, locals said, as reported by the ECNS.cn site which, in turn, quotes Xinhua.

The two-week reality show kicked off on August 29 at the village of Momchilovtsi, located in a valley in the Central Rhodope Mountains, and will be broadcast in China in late September.

Maria Nikova, Mayor of Momchilovtsi, told Xinhua that the show was a part of a project for the promotion of yogurt, implemented by the village and a Chinese dairy producer based in Shanghai.

Hu Jian, senior manager of the Chinese dairy company said that the reason for choosing the village as the spot for the show was that there is a unique dish in the Rhodope village - yogurt.

Yogurt is an indispensable part of the life of the local people. "You can see yogurt everywhere - yogurt soup, yogurt dessert, even the sauce for the barbecue," said Hu. The main purpose of the reality show, according to Hu, is to introduce the healthy lifestyle of the Bulgarian village to the Chinese audience through the experience of seven Chinese survivors.

Nikova said that during the first week, seven Chinese stars had to survive in the home of a local family without an interpreter and with only a Chinese-Bulgarian dictionary, while in the second week all Chinese people were gathered together in a single house.

Nikova involved her Chinese guest, the 22-year-old Monica from Shanghai, in all household activities such as feeding the hens and the calf, and picking vegetables from the small garden in the small yard. The Chinese were impressed by a tomato that weighed 1.1 kg, she added. Monica also learned to cook traditional local dishes like patatnik, banitsa and stuffed peppers. In her last evening at the house, she cooked delicious Chinese food.

The Shanghai company first came to Momchilovtsi in 2008, Nikova said. The following year, the company launched a dairy product labeled "Momchilovtsi," and in 2012 the village and the Chinese manufacturer officially shook hands and began cooperation.

Nikova said that since then, the Chinese company has been sending to the village tourist groups numbering around 500 people a year.

"Thus, they support the economy of Momchilovtsi because when a group arrives, they enter shops, the restaurant, attend our folk programmes and see museums," she explained. The local museum has exhibited a special wall showing the friendship between China and Momchilovtsi, including a picture of a Chinese group with the inscription: "Mimchilovtsi I love U. Warm wishes and heartfelt thanks from China."/SN/BR

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