Over-the-top action sequences, mismatched voices and melodramatic acting. That’s what I thought of Chinese cinema before I took a tour this past October of the Shanghai Film Studio in Sonjiang with the Shanghai Expatriate Association. Wondering through sets of the 1930s Nanjing Road, Old Shanghai Bridge and Suzhou Creek along with exhibits on classic movies, props and costumes, I found a new appreciation for Chinese cinema.
A photo tour of Shanghai Film Studio
Though the Studio is now more of a theme park instead of an active production studio, the old movie sets provide a wonderful backdrop for photos. Sit back and enjoy the show!
Many movie artifacts, like this sedan chair, are on display in the museum portion of the Shanghai Film Studio.Original costumes featured in films throughout the industry’s history are also on display in the museum.Aspiring actors put on kung fu skits in a “West Side Story”-esque fashion.
A set designer paints backdrops for an upcoming production.
A collage of shots from Chinese film covers the wall in the museum. Images from such hits as “Marriage of the Fairy Princess” (Tian Xian Pei, 1955) can be found in the collage.Movie sets depict architecture from Spanish to Russian throughout the theme park.A set is on display in the museum, including the antique movie camera from the studio’s hay day in the middle of the 20th Century.With the spectacular backdrop of old Nanjing Lu, a fashion shoot was in progress the day of my visit.Not sure who these guys were, but since they had an entourage following them with cameras, I assume they were some international movie stars or models on set.An active trolley is available to take visitors through the Shanghai Film Studio.A scene from the 1920s hit “Disturbance in the Alleyway” is set up in the museum. The movie depicted Yuyang alleyway off Huaihai Road in Shanghai.Among the most visited sites in the Shanghai Film Studio, this church appears in the popular Chinese TV show “Xin Shang Hai Tan.”
The Shanghai Film Studio also makes a popular destination for wedding photos among the locals.
Classic cars and European monuments are among the sites at the Shanghai Film Studio.Chinese soap opera stars film a scene near Suzhou Creek.
In one area of the Shanghai Film Studio, a World War II American town is set up, intact with pinups.I end the tour by posing in one of the classic car props. The tour of the Shanghai Film Studio is a step back in time and a welcomed escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
