Visiting and playing one's favorite TV drama roles at the Hengdian World Studios, known as China's Hollywood in east China's Zhejiang Province, has helped local tourism sector to reap a windfall.
As the filming location for nearly 100 films and TV dramas, "The Palace of Emperor Qin" shooting scene at Hengdian World Studios has intrigued numerous visitors to come and take photos there.
During the summer vacation, the number of tourists at "The Palace of Emperor Qin" is about 20 percent higher than usual. The average daily visitor flow on weekends topped 10,000 people.
"I usually watch a lot of TV series, so I wanted to come and experience the atmosphere of the ancient city. The scenery is quite recreated, and I've seen these kinds of scenes in many dramas before," said a tourist.
Visitors can have a filming experience at "Qing Ming Shang He Tu", another shooting scene at Hengdian World Studios.
"I just wanted to have the experience of acting, because I've always imagined about acting in those historical dramas, wondering how the scenes would be. I played a role as a boss, and I felt quite well." said another tourist.
As night fell, the Guangzhou Street and Hong Kong Street Scenic Area in Hengdian World Studios was staging a grand nighttime performance.
"The integration of sound and light here is good. People can be more immersed in the performance, because we usually can't be so immersive," said a tourist.
In the summer holiday, many students in study tours came to Hengdian World Studios to experience micro film shooting. Zhang Jinquan, a micro film director, said they started shooting from 07:00 these days. "At the busiest time, there could be up to 40 micro film shootings per day, with each shooting lasting around two and a half hours. With the increasing volume of shootings, the wages for all of us will also increase accordingly. Based on the current data, we estimate a year-on-year increase of around 15 percent," said Zhang.
Many Hanfu (traditional Chinese costumes) shops in Hengdian have welcomed a large number of tourists, offering clothing and makeup services for them.
Hotels in Hengdian have also seen a large flow of guests in this summer. In the lobby of a Shanghai-style hotel, many tourists were checking in.
A hotel manager said that in addition to creating a movie and TV theme hotel in the style of old Shanghai, they also provided guests with ticket discounts of the scenic area.
"This style gives me a feeling of going back to the old times of Shanghai, providing an eye-opening feeling. I am quite satisfied. The facilities, hardware and software are both very good, I would bring other family members to visit," said a guest.
"Compared to the usual time, the hotel occupancy rate during the summer holiday will generally see an increase of around 10 percent to 20 percent," said Kong Xiaofang, manager of the hotel.
Immersive role-playing tours to "Chinese Hollywood" boost local tourism
Immersive role-playing tours to "Chinese Hollywood" boost local tourism
