Hard times at China’s famous film studios, but a bit-part actor still hopes to hit the big time
- At China’s dream factory, the Hengdian World Studios, work has ground to a halt on many film productions amid the fallout from a tax scandal
- Even so, bit-part actor Yu Peng has worked his way up from stand-in and extra, and his dream – of making it big in on the silver screen – is very much alive
It is the weekend, but the main streets of Hengdian – one of 11 small towns in the city of Dongyang, in Zhejiang province – remain eerily quiet and deserted. Stores are closed; shops where studios and entertainment talent agencies used to be stand empty. Most restaurants, except for a few that trade in dog meat, are locked up.
Movie posters hanging on lamp posts are a reminder of the town’s glory days, when up to 70 film productions were shooting simultaneously at the Hengdian World Studios each day.
China’s film industry grinds to a halt because of Fan Bingbing tax scandal
Spanning an area roughly the size of 70 soccer pitches, it is among the largest outdoor film studios in the world. Home to a replica of the Forbidden City in Beijing, imperial palaces of China’s Ming and Qing dynasties, old Hong Kong (albeit looking nothing like the one we know and see in photographs) and old Guangdong (formerly Canton), this is where many Chinese period dramas, including the chart-topping Story of Yanxi Palace and Legend of Fuyao, are produced.
The studio, where you can dress as an emperor and have your photo taken on the throne for 100 yuan (US$14.50), also attracts hordes of tourists.
These days, however, most productions have been brought to a halt amid the tax scandals that have shook the Chinese film industry. The authorities’ crackdown on tax evasion among celebrities, which saw superstar Fan Bingbing disappear from public view, before re-emerging to face a huge fine of 884 million yuan, put a stop to film shoots and prompted producers to withdraw their investments in productions.