Hengdian World Studios – known as China's Hollywood and located in Dongyang, a county-level city administered by Jinhua, in East China's Zhejiang province – is becoming something of a driving force behind the province's current goal of establishing itself as a common prosperity demonstration zone.
Visitors watch entertainers with delight at Hengdian World Studios, known as China's Hollywood, in East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/China Daily]
The complex is China's largest film and television shooting location. It has hosted about 3,400 production teams from home and abroad – and about two-thirds of the country's films and TV programs have been produced there, forging a huge film and television culture industrial cluster.
But it has also had a major impact on the local economy, benefitting local businesses that are geared up to meeting the needs of tourists who travel there.
One prime example of this is Shishuiji village in Hengdian town. It has a total of 87 households and 78 of them are these days engaged in the homestay industry.
A television series is edited at Hengdian World Studios in Dongyang, Zhejiang province. XIAO DA/CHINA DAILY
Locals say the flow-on effect from the presence of the studios can't be overstated.
"Villagers can find jobs closer to home and their incomes have increased significantly," said Wang Nan, a local villager.
Today, Hengdian town has more than 1,500 themed hotels and homestays and the annual rental income of farmers there has reached a combined 438 million yuan ($67.70 million).
In 2020, Hengdian town's average per capita annual income totaled 70,000 yuan.
