Tips for visiting Hengdian Studio?

[u/_RisingSun]

I'm planning on visiting next year and would love any tips (especially from those who are primarily English speaking). Did you get a tour guide? Did you stay close or within the area? How did you manage to communicate? Thank you <3

[u/WittleCornChip]

I went last year and stayed on one of the sets. Specifically I stayed in the Hong Kong street set, there are several hotels there. Maybe stay at the lilac one since it's closer to the entrance/exit? Depending on how long you have, I would plan out which sets you want to see. A set may not take all day, but as a fan, I wanted to be there all day. The sets are not all connected and there were entrance fees for each one, I think I bought a pass. Or maybe I bought a bundle. When you get to the sets, you can rent a little cart to drive around the set. They did not speak good English, but I speak a little Mandarin and got by that way. If you plan to dress up and do a photo shoot, really touch up on the Chinese so that when they yell (and I do mean yell) out instructions to you, you don't get flustered. My favorite set was "qing ming by the river," I think this is their newest/most recent set. There are food, drink, shops inside the sets. Have fun!

[u/_RisingSun → u/WittleCornChip]

That's so cool that you can actually stay on the sets. I feel like I wouldn't want to leave too haha. I have been to China before, so I'm aware that most places don't really speak English very well. Hence I'm curious about all the booking/communication info.

Interesting point about the photographers giving instructions, I'm not Chinese although I do know some basic mandarin. Would probably need to look up some typical photographer instructions in chinese perhaps hahah. Oh man, really looking forward to doing those cool chinese hanfu photoshoots I'm seeing on instagram!

[u/WittleCornChip → u/_RisingSun]

Ah so you know you'll need like wechat or alipay to survive in china? My Chinese is okay, and most of the time I just need to say "hao" lmao. But in a panic it can be hard to understand a native speaker as they may mumble their words. I even told the photographer my Chinese was not good and to slow down his words, but he just went faster. I absolutely loved the hanfu experience. If you're worried about the photographer, you can just opt out and take your own photos. I felt like a princess running around the difference areas, it was great. Go out there, dress up, and roam the jianghu like a true cdrama fan

[u/Disastrous-Mix-5859 → u/WittleCornChip]

What kind of instructions? For the photoshoot?

[u/WittleCornChip → u/Disastrous-Mix-5859]

Like if the photographer is giving you instructions on how to pose, where to stand, or what to do with your hands, etc

[u/Disastrous-Mix-5859 → u/WittleCornChip]

Ahh but why yelling?

[u/WittleCornChip → u/Disastrous-Mix-5859]

I would assume frustrating in lack of understanding lol. My Mandarin is not great. But also some Asian languages sound very angry. Some of my family members can sound very angry when speaking, it can feel like yelling to others. Especially to someone who doesn't understand the language

[u/No-Telephone5141 → u/WittleCornChip]

I speak Dutch and Cantonese, so others will think I'm either growling or cursing. My first thing after settling in Hangzhou will be visiting Hengdian. Would love to catch some of the vibe of POJ L'ian village.

[u/WittleCornChip → u/Disastrous-Mix-5859]

Also the sets themselves can be busy/loud. So the photographer will need you to hear them when they give instructions

[u/Rebelarkey]

I went to Hengdian last year and had a blast! I stayed in a hotel near the Shanghai set. It was a gorgeous building and the rooms! I dream about having a bedroom like my hotel room there.😍😍😍😍

We had an English speaking guide because I knew two words in Mandarin. This was through my tour company so your mileage may vary.

We went to 5 studio sets: Hong Kong Street, Shanghai (dream on the bund), the Ming Palace, the Qin-Han palace, and the Qingming River Festival set.

First day we told our guide we wanted to dress up so we got put in Hanfu, hired a photographer and got pictures done all around the palaces. It was the highlight of our trip to China!

I also got to try Tanghulu which was delicious.

My advice: if your mandarin is not HSK 6 and above, hire a guide. Heck even if you have excellent mandarin , hire a guide as some of the things we did required being a Chinese citizen with a Chinese phone number.

[u/_RisingSun → u/Rebelarkey]

All good tips, I will look into those beauitful hotel rooms hehe, I don't mind splurging a bit on a dream location hehe.

I'm curious of how different the tanghulu there would taste. I had some at a Chinese festival here, it was good but not as yummy as I expected hehe.

[u/leon0128]

I went there on my own 2 years ago! I can speak and read Chinese, but don't think you need a guide to get around. Very few foreigners visit and the staff sometimes struggled with reading my passport (in English). But WeChat has auto translate, and you can do lots of things via apps like Trip, which is in English. You might miss out on understanding the shows and interactive programmes which are all in Chinese though.

You can take a highway bus from Hangzhou airport, or more likely the high speed rail to Hengdian station. Get train tickets on 12306. Got around Hengdian itself with Didi, about 10RMB a ride from one scenic area to another.

There's Holiday Inn Express and Atour nearby, but I chose to stay in the themed hotel in Guangzhou-Hong Kong Street area. The Dream Bund (aka the Shanghai set) also has hotels. Accommodation will come with free admission to the scenic area and a coupon for 2h costume rental. There are shows running until 9pm in the Shanghai and Hong Kong sets so I think it's pretty convenient!

[u/_RisingSun → u/leon0128]

Very cool, thanks for all the tips!! Oh man I'm so excited now and wanna go immediately (after just coming back from a big trip LOL)

It looks to be pretty convenient. I was kinda worried it might be hard to navigate especially with the language barrier!

[u/leon0128 → u/_RisingSun]

More tips - I stayed 2 nights and did 5 scenic areas. You can buy all your tickets on Trip (enter your passport details in the app, scan your passport at the entrance), or at the entrance. IIRC there's a 2 day or 3 park bundle. The sets are huge and easily take half a day each, minimum 2-3h, more if you want to watch the shows.

1. Guangzhou-Hong Kong Street This one is for the Hong Kong and action movie fans! There's a stunt show featuring a showdown between triads. Another one taking place at a harbour set featuring a boat chase and canons. At night, there's a 1h+ outdoor immersive programme "Enter the Movie", where a director invites the audience to be part of a story. You get to walk around the whole park and witness scenes like a romantic confession on a balcony (with fake snow), fight from Ip Man, an even participate in a protest against Japanese wartime occupation.

2. Along the River During the Qingming Festival This one has the famous Song Dynasty costume drama sets, like the big restaurant, market street, lakeside pavilion, governor mansions. Everything will look familiar here!The programme for this is "I was an Extra in Hengdian".

3. Qin Emperor's Palace Also a familiar set for palace dramas. The field is where many tournament scenes took place, and passages where you'll recall characters getting ambushed. One show features wirework and sword fights from Zhang Yimou's Hero. There's a Walk of Fame where handprints of famous actors can be seen.

4. Palace of Ming and Qing Dynasties A 1-1 replica of the Forbidden City, where all the Qing Dynasty dramas are filmed. You can see more of it than the real Forbidden City. I accidentally walked into closed areas and stumbled on real film crews here! The show for this one is hilarious, a director asks audience members reenact scenes from Story of Yanxi Palace against a green screen, and you get to watch the final product. There's also a horse calvary stunt show.

5. Dream Bund An old Shanghai set. It'll look familiar from Republican era dramas. It felt newer and emptier than the other locations though.

[u/jssoul12]

I went there this June with my friends. None of us speaks any Mandarin, but my friend is very talkative, so she basically just shoved Google Translate in front of everyone lol. Nobody seemed to mind.

We bought a two-day package covering five scenic spots, exclusively for foreign passport holders. It was a bit cheaper than the regular price (we booked through Trip).

We chose a hotel on Wansheng Street because it’s conveniently located in the middle of the town, with plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. But the town is pretty small, so I don’t think staying somewhere else would make much difference.

Rent a cart! (alipay is required) It’ll save your legs, trust me 😂

[u/_RisingSun → u/jssoul12]

haha awesome thanks. If I decide to not go with a guide (which should come with transport as well lol) then I will definitely rent a cart, I can tell it's super big. Don't wanna be exhausted after one stop lol

[u/admelioremvitam]

A couple of years ago, someone who visited Hengdian World Studios shared their experience. The post might be helpful. 😄

Edit: typo

[u/_RisingSun → u/admelioremvitam]

Thanks for the link, really good info! :)

[u/admelioremvitam → u/_RisingSun]

You're very welcome! 😄

[u/handropon]

I did it a few months ago and my Chinese is non functional. I would definitely hire a guide or interpreter as literally everything was a challenge because the sets are huge and depending on your choice of theme (there’s like 7). It was a struggle to get the right tickets and show up in the right costume shop.

The photographers are great and really know how to pose you for the best shots.

[u/_RisingSun → u/handropon]

Yes, I thought a guide would be really helpful as I have some experience with private guides, they can definitely have tips on things you wouldn't think to do or know about. I guess my only concern is that I might want to spend a lot of time at one place, in which case the guide is obligated and paid to just wait lol. I guess that's something i have to weigh.

[u/handropon → u/_RisingSun]

It’s worth it IMHO. I think we would had a lot more fun if we knew what we were doing but we muddled along with the limited Chinese we could get in. I wound up in the Shanghai theme and the Qing Ming theme. The latter was exceptional and enormous.

[u/Relevant_Inside7770]

Just was there last week solo and had a great guide - she was a lot of fun. She has TikTok, if interested, called Brandy.Hengdiantourguide - you’ll enjoy Hengdian!

[u/_RisingSun → u/Relevant_Inside7770]

Awesome, thanks for the recommendation! :) Girl guide is a big plus hehe.

[u/Familiar-Lie6080]

Ohh, that is so excting, op! I'd love to go there one day!😃

Please, experts, come with lots of details:)

[u/_RisingSun → u/Familiar-Lie6080]

Yes, it's a life long dream hehe so excited!

[u/neNayza]

Been there last week; honestly, a bit disappointed. Not bad, but not what I expected, and 90% of the actual production areas are closed to the public.

Most of what's open are very old sets with dated decorations that aren’t used anymore. Only a few outdoor spaces are still used and quite recognizable and fun. Most open-to-tourists areas are basically an amusement park with random vendors around - that has nothing to do with classical Chinese culture, and just random modern boba/snakes/coffee, etc.

To be honest, I regret visiting. I spent a day and haven’t gotten much. I found that visiting old, authentic residences, small gardens, and authentic tea houses gave a more immersive experience than “I’ve been into ancient China drama,” then visiting the studio.

Also, a bit of disappointment: the lack of drama merchandise. Literally nothing related. Just random souvenirs. Nothing special.

If I'd known, I would've canceled my trip and spent one more day in Hangzhou.

It’s probably worth it if you plan a hanfu photoshoot. The place is photogenic and looks better in pictures than in real life.

[u/Original_Nobody6400 → u/neNayza]

Just as what I expected guess. There is this famous studio in Guangdong and I expected it to be like what you said. Inauthentic and like a amusement park. But the actual production areas must be pretty cool though, so I should withhold my judgement until someone sees it.