Heng Dian, Zhejiang
The world's largest film set — and you're allowed inside
Hengdian is China's Hollywood: the engine room of the world's second-largest film market, and the only version of "movie magic" you can actually walk into.
In 2025, China's box office hit ¥51.8 billion — domestic films took over 80 percent of that — and roughly two-thirds of everything produced for Chinese screens, from prestige dramas to the micro-drama boom, passes through these gates.
Recreated 1930s Shanghai streetscapes & the Great Qin Palace at Hengdian World Studios. Image: Photo: N509FZ via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
“This isn't a heritage site. It's a spectacle built to be spectacular—the same deal as Disney or Universal, at industrial scale.”
- THE EXPERIENCE
Five core zones — Qin Palace, Along the River During Qingming Festival, the Ming-Qing Palace Garden, Guangzhou Street·Hong Kong Street, and Dreamland Valley — all working film sets. Walk through the studio and you'll encounter dramas mid-shoot, a costume rental stall, or a stunt rehearsal.
Costumed actors are planted throughout to pull visitors into impromptu scenes, and if you want to go further, you can sign on as an extra in a short-film shoot yourself.
- BEST FOR
Film and pop-culture lovers who want to see the industry in motion and catch live productions. An unapologetically theatrical day — or three.
- MAY NOT BE FOR YOU IF
You'd rather commit to one destination than five sprawling zones. You want quiet. You're not up for costume-photo energy alongside the film crews. You're looking for something authentic and historical — this is the opposite, on purpose.
- HOW LONG?
1–2 days; the three-day combo ticket (¥550) earns its keep if you want more than a couple of zones properly.
- GETTING THERE
Hengdian got its own high-speed rail station in September 2024 — 40 minutes from Hangzhou, just over an hour from Shanghai.
The station sits 6km from the studios, with light rail and buses running straight there. It's now one of the easiest day trips in Zhejiang.
- PAIRS WELL WITH
Yiwu, 30 minutes away, for contrast — the world's largest small-commodities market · Hangzhou, an hour away — Alibaba's home turf, West Lake, and Southern Song refinement
English is limited on-site, but the visual experience needs none. Check the day's performance schedule on the Hengdian World Studios WeChat account the night before — missing the live shows is the one regret visitors consistently report.