The production team of the film "The Promise" have vandalized Bigu Lake in Shangri-La, Yunnan Province, where they were shooting the motion picture, vice minister of Construction Qiu Baoxing criticized yesterday at an international symposium held in Hangzhou on aquatic environment conservation, Xinhua news agency reported.

A dilapidated wooden bridge that crosses the Bigu lake in Shangri-La, in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. [Xinhua]

Bigu Lake is situated in a mountainous region that is over 4,000 meters-high. It used to boast limpid waters, a host of lakeside azaleas, a vast virgin forest and pastures. However, the production team has seriously polluted the area with garbage, wine bottles, plastic bags and raincoats during the making of the film.

The team also built a road that damaged the vegetation and left many useless structures and installations which are inharmonious with the environment. A dilapidated wooden bridge that now crosses the lake breaks it into two parts, Qiu said, citing a news report published in April.

Qiu also criticized the administration of some other natural heritage sites for over-developing; by constructing large scale buildings and hotels in Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi Province.

Yandang Mountain in Zhejiang Province used to be serene with various natural brooks. However, excessive extraction of ground water has drained many of the brooks, the report said.

"The Promise," directed by Chen Kaige, has been a box-office hit since its debut in China in mid-December last year. However, it seems to have fallen far short of the expectations of movie buffs, with criticism revolving around its stereotyped and farfetched storyline.