Hengdian World Studios

Hengdian began in 1996 when a local businessman built a nineteenth-century Guangzhou street set for a historical film, and a full-scale Qin palace followed a year later for a film about the first emperor. It grew into the largest film production base in the world, spread over several square kilometres with more than a dozen separate sets: a full-scale replica of the Forbidden City, a Qin palace complex, a Song dynasty street, a Republic-era Guangzhou and Hong Kong street, and a Ming-Qing palace. Hundreds of productions shoot here each year, and tens of thousands of extras, known as hengpiao, live in the town waiting for work. Sets are open to visitors as theme parks with staged performances, and filming often continues alongside.

What you actually see

• The Qin palace - the full-scale complex built in 1997 for a film about the first emperor.
• The Forbidden City replica - a working substitute for the Beijing original.
• The Republic-era streets - Guangzhou and Hong Kong recreated for period films.
• The productions - filming under way in parts of the complex most days.

When to go

March to May and September to November for comfortable weather; the sets are outdoors and summer is hot. School holidays bring crowds and more staged shows. Filming can close sections without warning.

Honest expectations

Each set charges separately or through an expensive combined pass. The parks are theme parks with costumed performances rather than behind-the-scenes access. Areas close for filming with no notice, and the complex is very spread out.

Nearby

Yiwu lies north; Jinhua is west.