Hengdian World Studios — Dongyang
Hengdian Group, founded by Xu Wenrong · from 1996 · Hengdian, Dongyang, Zhejiang
Photo: kanegen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0), taken 4 December 2007, as published in Street Art Utopia; full photo.
Hengdian World Studios began in 1996, when the Hengdian Group built a 19th-century Guangzhou street for Xie Jin's The Opium War. More sets followed, including a Qin palace built for Chen Kaige's The Emperor and the Assassin, which Zhang Yimou later used for Hero, and a life-size copy of the Forbidden City. NPR counted 18 sets in 2007. Source Source Source Reported
Standing Nov 2026: AFP, in the Taipei Times on 4 November 2026, reported tourists acting in their own microdramas on the Hengdian sets. Source Reported
More photos
💡 4 things to know
- Built in a few monthsFor The Opium War, the first Guangzhou street set went up in just over four months, according to China Daily; Chinese reports say about three months. Source Source Source Reported
- A palace for two epicsThe Qin palace was built for The Emperor and the Assassin and has hosted hundreds of productions, including Zhang Yimou's Hero. Source Checked
- A 1:1 Forbidden CityThe Forbidden City copy was built in 1998 at full scale, with only the Tiananmen rostrum shrunk by 20 percent, according to The World of Chinese. Source Reported
- Tourists now starIn 2026 AFP reported visitors paying to act in their own short microdramas on the Hengdian sets. Source Reported
📍 Where it is
Hengdian, Dongyang, Jinhua, Zhejiang Source Source Reported
Opens a map at Hengdian World Studios in Hengdian town, Dongyang.
🗓️ Sightings
- 200713 Aug
NPR: 18 sets incl. a life-size Forbidden City
- 20072 Dec
Photo of Guangzhou Street and Hong Kong Street
- 20183 Jan
The World of Chinese visits the 'Dream Factory'
- 202411 Jan
Photo of the replica Tian'an Gate
- 202531 Jan
Enthronement show at the Qin palace's Unification Hall
- 20264 Nov
AFP: tourists act in microdramas on the sets
Green stamps mark dated photographs (the date given on the photo’s page); amber stamps mark records, events and reports. Publication dates are not photo dates.
🗞️ In the sources
Ambition and History Meet in China's Hollywood
“Its 18 film sets include temples, historical streets and a life-size replica of the Forbidden City.”
Dream Factory
“It’s one of China’s biggest attractions, pulling in more than 100 million tourists since it opened in 1996.”
浙江小镇“独霸”影视圈，横着竖着都创增长奇迹！
“随着电影《鸦片战争》的上映，横店的名字迅速响彻四方。”
With the release of The Opium War, Hengdian's name quickly became known everywhere.
Tourists star in personal microdramas in 'China's Hollywood'
“Microdrama productions in Hengdian for tourists like Gao operate seamlessly”
✅ The facts
🔗 Related
- Movie Sets Still Standing Years After Filming (10 Photos vol. 2) — Street Art Utopia
- The Movie Ended, the Set Stayed (10 Photos) — Street Art Utopia
- All Artwork Files
All sources & image credits
- chinadailyhk.com — 150622
- The World of Chinese — Dream Factory (3 January 2018)
- Taipei Times (AFP) — Tourists star in personal microdramas in 'China's Hollywood' (4 November 2026)
- ourchinastory.com — 11791
- China News Service (中新网) — 浙江小镇“独霸”影视圈，横着竖着都创增长奇迹！ (12 September 2024)
- en.wikipedia.org — Hengdian World Studios
- NPR — Ambition and History Meet in China's Hollywood (13 August 2007)
- commons.wikimedia.org — File:Hengdian World Studios 007.jpg
- commons.wikimedia.org — File:20240111 Replica of the Tian’an Gate in Hengdian World Studios (093426).jpg
- commons.wikimedia.org — File:Unification Hall, Palace of Emperor Qin, Hengdian World Studios (20250131150447).jpg
- Hero image: Photo: kanegen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0), taken 4 December 2007, as published in Street Art Utopia; the share image is a 16:9 version of it.
- More photos: kanegen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0), 2007.
- More photos: Yumeto / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), 2024.
Last checked: 11 November 2026 · How we verify art