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Alice Yan

A Chinese village with 600 years of history has become a miniseries filming hub, with nearly all its villagers and livestock taking part.
The “cast” even includes a donkey which is paid 500 yuan (US$70) a day.
Yuanqiao village, which is administered by Dengfeng in Henan province, central China, shot to fame on social media because many television miniseries have been made there, the Dahe News reported.
Miniseries have become popular in China in recent years.

According to the China internet Development Report 2025, the miniseries market was valued at 50 billion yuan (US$7 billion) in 2024. It reached 500 million viewers across the country.
The relatively new art form was defined by the industry regular China Radio and Television Administration in 2020 as a series in which each episode lasts less than 15 minutes.
Dubbed “electric instant noodles”, miniseries have plots which progress quickly. They are generally made at a low cost and most of the actors have no professional training.

Yuanqiao Village dates back to the beginning of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), with its first generation of residents migrating from the northern province of Shanxi.
It has been included in a list of traditional villages by the Henan provincial government for its historical opera tower, watchtower and ancient trees.
The village is home to 1,600 residents from 380 households, most of whom have the surname Yuan.

In 2024, a miniseries team stumbled across the village by accident and found it to be a “natural film studio” thanks to its nostalgic atmosphere.
Initially, villagers were the audience but they soon became players after a villager, in her 70s, led a group of more than 10 farmers to recommend themselves to the director and were later praised for their performances.
So far more than 40 miniseries have been filmed in the village. One of them, released last year, has been viewed 30 million times online.
Nearly all the villagers, aged from 5 to 74, have played a part in the productions. They are paid about 100 yuan (US$14) a day.
Even livestock, like chickens, ducks, geese, donkeys and horses, often appear as extras.
A donkey is said to command 500 yuan a day because it is skilled in pulling carts.

“I think it is not difficult to act. I can proudly share this experience with my friends,” a female villager was quoted as saying.
A male villager in his 60s said: “I used my hands to hold a hoe in the past. Now I hold the scripts.”
A village official said the miniseries industry contributed about 20 per cent to the region’s income.
“Young people used to go to cities for jobs. Many of them have returned recently since they can make money in the village and take care of their family in the meantime,” said the official, whose name is not released in the report.
Yuanqiao Village is not alone. Beiliangjia Town in Qingdao, Shandong province, eastern China, is also famous as a base for filming miniseries.


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TV drama producers flock to ‘natural film studio’; chickens, geese, ducks, horses act as extras; ‘skilled’ donkey is paid US$70 a day


TV drama producers flock to ‘natural film studio’; chickens, geese, ducks, horses act as extras; ‘skilled’ donkey is paid US$70 a day.


Tourism

Nearly all residents in historic China village act in local TV miniseries; even livestock are hired

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}TV drama producers flock to ‘natural film studio’; chickens, geese, ducks, horses act as extras; ‘skilled’ donkey is paid US$70 a day

TV drama producers flock to ‘natural film studio’; chickens, geese, ducks, horses act as extras; ‘skilled’ donkey is paid US$70 a day