Shine a Light Rose

So I noticed a lot of people keep commenting that sets and “cities” in C-dramas that had basically no budget as being super pretty and that they can’t believe they managed that with no money. Here’s the thing: Many C-drama are filmed in Hengdian. There are a few other filming studios that are also popular, but I would say Hengdian is in the top 3, or maybe top 1.

Hengdian is one of the largest film studios in the world and is one of the most popular places to film a period drama (area total of 3,3 km2 and building areas of 495,995 m2).

If I remember correctly, there are at least 13 shooting bases. Some buildings, palaces, areas are made in the style of Qin and Han dynasty, others are exact replicas of certain buildings (like Yuanming Yuan, the old summer palace).

It’s FREE to film in Hengdian. How do they stay in business, you ask? They make the money from hotels, restaurants, and renting out equipment & costumes. Some dramas or movies take only 1 month to film, others can take several months. Also Hengdian is huge, if you couldn’t tell, so there can be several film crews working at the same time. 

I would also like to point out that you can visit as a tourist. 

So far there are over 1200 films and C-dramas that have been filmed in Hengdian! Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, The Forbidden Kingdom, Mulan are some films that were filmed there.

If you watch other Chinese period dramas, you will recognize several buildings. Some C-dramas in recent years you might recognize are Once Upon A Time in Lingjian Mountain, Joy of Life, The Untamed, Word of Honor.

Like this one! Recognize it? It’s where they had that boyband karaoke consert thing in Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain 

Click here for a clip of the concert haha