In 1994, Xu, who had never stopped thinking about how to take the local economy to the next level, visited the studios in Wuxi that provide sets for making Tang-Dynasty period films and dramas, and he was impressed by the crowds of tourists packed in there. Thereupon he had the rather crazy idea to turn Hengdian into a tourist destination, so he began building resorts, sports facilities, and movie theaters.
1994 年，一心想轉型升級的徐文榮看到江蘇的無錫唐城影視基地，遊客摩肩接踵，突發奇想，也想在橫店搞旅遊，開始興建度假村、體育館和電影院。