 New fruit orchards and tea factories were also set up, followed by production facilities for fruit wines and Chinese herbs, which are particularly popular among Thais and tourists from China, Taiwan, and other ethnic Chinese communities in south-east Asia.Santikhiri was chosen as the filming location for the subplot "The Fortitude of the Buddha" in the 2005 film 3 Needles.Although the narrative is supposed to be set in the rural southern province of Yunnan, director Thom Fitzergald stated that difficulties in obtaining permission from the Censorship Authority resulted in the decision to shoot the segment in Santikhiri instead.