An extra playing a vegetable seller takes a nap in between takes. Photo: CFP

Wang He has appeared in almost 600 TV shows and films, yet most audiences probably don't even know his name. According to Wang - who quit his job as a waiter to come to the small town of Hengdian, Zhejiang Province, in 2007 to work as an extra in TV and movies - extras who earn a meager income like himself aren't exactly considered stars.

Wang is one of 5,000 "Hengdian drifters," or hengpiao in Chinese, people who have come to the town to achieve stardom, fulfill their teenage dreams in their twilight years, or simply make a living.

Dubbed by many as "Chinese Hollywood," Hengdian World Studios is the largest filming location in the world, boasting 13 film sets, such as a full-scale replica of Beijing's Forbidden City. By the end of April, its sets had appeared in some 1,500 television shows and films. A total of 46 crews once filmed on location simultaneously, Zeng Yulin, editor-in-chief of Hengdian Studios Tourism magazine, told the Global Times.

Scraping by

The large-scale production of film and television provides ample opportunities for Hengdian drifters. By the end of 2014, about 23,000 drifters, lured by the glamour of showbiz from all across the country, lived in Hengdian, Wu Liying, an agent working at the studio's extra association, told the Global Times.

"They can be eligible members of the association as long as they are between 18 and 60 years old, and have short black hair if they are males, and black, shoulder length or longer hair if they are females," said Wu.

Shen Kai, 39, finally got his big break in 2014 when starred in director Derek Yee's I Am Somebody, a film about several small-time actors looking to make it big by working as extras in Hengdian. Having only played bit parts prior to the film Shen said being able to appear in the film was like a window opened by God.

Quitting a suffocating job in his hometown of Nantong, Jiangsu Province, in 2012, he came to Hengdian without any prior performing experience to embark on an utterly unfamiliar career.

He was still living off the occasional extra parts when he ran into Yee and told him his story, which led to Yee choosing Shen to be in the film.

At the time Shen could earn 40 yuan ($6.5) for a day's work if he managed to grab an extra role in the early mornings. To minimize expenditures, he rented a room completely unfurnished except for a single bed for 120 yuan a month.

Extras, such as pedestrians or guards, are paid 50 yuan for eight hours and 5 yuan for each extra hour, while actors who have bit parts are paid a minimum of 200 yuan per day. Playing dead people or having their head shaved earns them another 10 yuan and 40 yuan respectively, according to Wu.

Zhang Haifeng, 34, also had a tough time after coming to Hengdian.

"The shoes that extras wear are never washed, so all I ever wanted was a pair of those clean shoes particularly made for bit parts. Those smelly shoes are forever embedded in my memory," said Zhang, who came to Hengdian to be an extra in 2008 even though he majored in performing arts in college.

Fortunately, he finally got his own pair of shoes as he began taking on bit parts and supporting roles. "I'm glad that I finally became something my son could be proud of. He told me that even his teachers recognized me in television shows," Zhang said.

"I do have greater ambitions. But I need more financial support," he said, adding that his top priority is to save money for a house in a good school district in order to ensure his 9-year-old son gets a better secondary education.

Dream chaser

Wang said that encouragement from many directors, including Stephen Chow, who praised him for outstanding performance in Chow's movie Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, made him more confident that he could succeed.

"Despite having a bit part as a fisherman in the film, I added more movements to the role — crawling on the ground in a flurry, instead of simply running away when a sea monster leaped onto a riverbank," Wang said in delight, adding that he had a two-second close-up shot in the movie.

Recalling his years of arduous struggle as an extra, Wang said he had to get up at 2 am every day to line up for a role as an extra which included free meals as well as an income.

He recounted about a time he got a heat rash all over his back after playing an ancient warrior dressed in a heavy suit of armor on a hot summer day.

Now that he is better off, Wang plans to invest the majority of his savings into a film based on his own screenplay titled Dream Chaser, which depicts the lives of Hengdian drifters.

"My dream is to get a great director interested in my script and attract investment," he said, adding that one local businessman has considered giving him 20,000 yuan to give it a shot.

Life after retirement

Zhou Jinfeng, 66, has decided to spend the rest of her life in Hengdian.

"I don't want to live a mediocre life," Zhou said.

Originally a worker in a textile mill in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, she was active in the mill's art troupe, hosting galas and singing and performing funny sketches.

After retiring in 1999, she and her friends entered the TV business by serving as members of live audiences in television programs and then acting in several programs featuring short plays.

A widow, her son supported her in pursing her dream in Hengdian. "I did my job for my family, raising my child and taking care of my husband as well as my grandson," she said.

"My daughter-in-law calls it 'moving on' — 'You lived the first half of your life for your children. Now you should live for yourself,'" Zhou said.

Thanks to her previous experience, Zhou started her career in Hengdian with bit parts and supporting roles.

Shi Yan, 57, also had stage experience while working as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province. After retiring two years ago, she came to Hengdian to enjoy a different kind of retirement.

"Unlike those young drifters, we have comfortable pensions. We came here not for money, but just for fun," Shi said.