China Focus: Lights, camera, tourists! Short dramas rewrite the script for “China’s Hollywood”-Xinhua
HANGZHOU, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Wang, a retired teacher from Shanghai, has just wrapped up her turn as an emperor's mother, filming a scene inside a replica palace at Hengdian World Studios, known as "China's Hollywood." "I never imagined I'd get to act. I finally got my drama fix," Wang said, smiling as she adjusted her headdress. "I rehearsed the lines three times to memorize them, and the director even said I had a real air of authority." Wang is part of a holiday phenomenon. During the National Day holiday from Oct. 1 to 7, tourists paying to star in short dramas have become a common sight in Hengdian, east China's Zhejiang Province. As destinations across China explore new ways to attract visitors, Hengdian has flipped the script, transforming tourists from spectators into actors. ...