Hollywood, the dream machine

Hollywood is simply a place you can't miss when visiting Los Angeles.

This is a city where dreams really do come true. It's a place with the potential to make people famous overnight. Hollywood injects the mysterious celebrity status into regular folk to transcend their previously normal lives into a strange breed of society. The powerful movie industry creates a world where we see magnificence and marvel beyond real life.

The east coast is the birthplace of American movies. But its wet weather and Thomas Alva Edison's tight patent control over some of the most important inventions in the film industry made it a slow process for the industry to grow there. Los Angeles on the other hand, a sun soaked and sea drenched city with a more liberal environment, was naturally the place for the film industry to settle and begin the Hollywood legend.

In a sunny day visitors take a selfie in front of the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, United States. Photo from hellola.cn

Hollywood means more than just movies. It is also the home to the entertainment business in US. Everyone and everything that has made remarkable contributions in motion picture, television, music, radio and theater have received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which runs along the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in central Los Angeles. Over 2500 terrazzo and brass stars inlaid on the ground constitute a monument to a group of outstanding figures in the trade. Round brass plaques are set in the heart of each star and carry one of the five images of a microphone, a TV receiver, a phonograph record, a pair of tragedy and comedy masks and a classic cine-camera to make it clear in which category the star is earned.

The Walk is home to a constant throng of tourists eager to take pictures of a loved celebrity behind a star. Snow White, Bugs Bunny and the Simpsons are very popular here.

The？fantastic view before the Loews Hollywood Hotel. Photo from hellola.cn

The print of Jimmy Durante's big nose stands out even at the TCL Chinese Theater’s famous forecourt where many legendary figures from the motion picture industry have left their handprints, footprints and autographs.

In Universal Studios Hollywood, where a string of special-effect thrillers have been produced, visitors can experience King Kong, Shrek and Jurassic Park themed attractions, delve into the details of movie production, unravel the secrets of trick shots and sit down to watch several classical movie clips.

With all its glamour and grandeur, it is difficult not to revel in the illusion that Hollywood creates and love it for the magic it conjures.

Those in China wishing to tour this wonder land will be happy to know that a direct flight between Shanghai and Los Angeles is scheduled to start from Jul 10, 2015. Its operator is Delta Air Lines, based in Atlanta, Georgia.