Hengdian World Studios, about forty kilometres from Yiwu city, is the largest film production base in China and one of the most bizarre tourist destinations in the country. The backlot contains full-scale recreations of the Forbidden City, Tang dynasty palace complexes, Republican-era Shanghai street sets, and various other historical environments built to serve the Chinese period drama industry that produces hundreds of television series and films every year.
Visitors can walk through the sets between shoots — or during them, which is the more interesting experience. The Forbidden City replica was reportedly built at full scale with input from the Palace Museum in Beijing, and it is genuinely massive; walking from the Meridian Gate to the back halls takes twenty minutes. The surrounding town of Hengdian has grown entirely in service of the studio economy and is peculiar in its own right: hotels, restaurants, and shops all catering to the continuous flow of production crews, extras, and curious tourists. Buses run directly from Yiwu city.