The Journey to Lan Yuan is being made by Toitu Otago Settlers Museum staff and will be on display at the Chinese garden in Dunedin.
Filming took place in China, Australia and Northland as well as in different parts of Otago.
Toitu exhibition developer William Mckee said Chinaman’s Terrace would be one of the final locations for shooting.
Chinaman’s Terrace was chosen as a location because grapes grown on the terrace are used in a wine called China Girl, Mr Mckee said.
"It’s called Chinaman’s Terrace because that’s where the Chinese miners used to work and now it’s growing grapes which go into the wine, so it’s wee bit of a nice touch for the documentary," Mr Mckee said.
Historian and the film’s presenter Sean Brosnahan said the problem for the film crew now was deciding what footage should be used in the final documentary.
Some of the filming had been challenging, particularly the parts filmed in China, he said.
"It was a bit of a challenge to locate some of the specific spots where some of the notable Chinese families in Otago came from."
With help from Otago’s Chinese community and people in China, they were able to film in all the locations they wanted, he said.
Helping with the filming on Wednesday was Zhan Jun Yi, a student from Shanghai who is in Dunedin for two weeks.
"He’s really enjoying this because he’s not just stuck inside an office in Dunedin but he’s getting out to the countryside and seeing some of the spectacular scenery you can get," Mr Brosnahan said.