Zhongshan + Jiangmen: Visiting the Filming Locations of "The Knockout" and "Let the Bullets Fly"

Zhongshan and Jiangmen are very close together. Starting from downtown Zhongshan, you can string several filming locations into a single afternoon. The most interesting thing about this area isn’t any single isolated attraction, but rather that feeling of “stepping into a movie”—the old factory street from “The Knockout” and the Goose Town from “Let the Bullets Fly” are both here. Add in dressing up for photos at the Zhongshan Film Studio, plus two easy hikes up Shitou Mountain and Yaji Mountain, and you have a content-rich weekend. Below I’ll break it down by location.

Thirty-Three Market Street (The Old Factory District from “The Knockout”)

Overview

  • Location: Jiangmen
  • Duration: a full afternoon (starting from downtown Zhongshan)
  • Transportation: by public transit or by car, either works
  • Budget reference: under 100 (1 person, transportation + snacks)
  • Physical exertion: 1 star
  • Best for: friends and classmates, couples (recommended to watch “The Knockout” first)
  • Season and weather: best when it’s a bit cooler
  • Main highlight: stepping into the world of “The Knockout”
Thirty-Three Market Street, the old factory district from The Knockout
Where Gao Qiqiang ate noodles

“The Knockout” was a hugely popular TV series in 2022. I happened to discover that it was filmed in Jiangmen, and after going there, what left the deepest impression on me was the way the various shops “play along.” To sell their snacks and local specialties, the vendors really go all out riding on the show’s memes—you can see recreations of all kinds of lines and scenes everywhere, which makes for a fun stroll.

Where Brother Qiang bought a plasma TV
Where Brother Qiang bought a plasma TV
Tell Lao Mo, I feel like having some fruit
Tell Lao Mo, I feel like having some fruit

Tips

  1. By transit or by car, just navigate straight to “Thirty-Three Market Street.” There are a lot of people around and the traffic can be heavy, so parking spots are hard to find—you can park nearby and walk over.

Mei Family Mansion (The Goose Town from “Let the Bullets Fly”)

Overview

  • Location: Jiangmen
  • Duration: about 1 hour to look around; a full afternoon round trip from downtown Zhongshan
  • Transportation: by public transit or by car, either works
  • Budget reference: under 100 (1 person, transportation + snacks)
  • Physical exertion: 1 star
  • Best for: friends and classmates, couples (recommended to watch “Let the Bullets Fly” first)
  • Season and weather: best when it’s a bit cooler
  • Main highlight: take office in Goose Town!
The Mei Family Mansion, the Goose Town of Let the Bullets Fly
The real-life model for “Goose Town” in “Let the Bullets Fly”

The whole place is actually quite small and you’ll be done looking around in no time, so making a special trip just to see it might be a little disappointing. But as a fan who has watched “Let the Bullets Fly” many times, coming here for a look does count as fulfilling a wish. The mansion has changed quite a lot now, some parts are still under renovation, and it’s already hard to find scenes exactly like those in the film. I took a comparison photo for your reference.

Comparison of the Mei Family Mansion with the movie scene
More than a decade later, the feel of the original film is almost nowhere to be found

Tips

  1. By transit or by car, just navigate straight to “Mei Family Mansion.” The surroundings are very open, with plenty of places to park.

Zhongshan Film Studio

Overview

  • Location: Zhongshan
  • Duration: about 5 hours (starting from downtown Zhongshan)
  • Transportation: by public transit or by car, either works
  • Budget reference: under 300 (1 person, transportation + snacks + admission)
  • Physical exertion: 1 star
  • Best for: couples, photo sessions with close friends, bringing kids or the elderly (great for photos)
  • Season and weather: best when it’s a bit cooler
  • Main highlight: dressing up for photos
The Western-style church at the Zhongshan Film Studio
A Western-style church inside the studio

The best thing to do at the film studio is to dress up and take photos. A single park brings together buildings in many different styles, so you can shoot photos of wildly different looks all in the same place; there are quite a few costume rental shops inside, making it perfect for women to come and take artistic photos (you’ll see people bringing DSLRs to shoot everywhere). I snapped a few photos for reference, and you can search Xiaohongshu for more photogenic angles.

A traditional Chinese-style street at the Zhongshan Film Studio
A traditional Chinese-style street
An American Chinatown and a Japanese-style garden
An American Chinatown and a Japanese-style garden
Buildings of many countries' styles at the Zhongshan Film Studio
One ticket, the flavors of many countries

Tips

  1. Prepare in advance: Search “Zhongshan Film Studio” on Meituan to buy tickets (adult ticket ¥60).
  2. Getting there: Just navigate to “Zhongshan Film Studio.” There are parking lots nearby, very convenient.

Shitou Mountain

Overview

  • Location: Zhongshan
  • Duration: about 3 hours (starting from downtown Zhongshan)
  • Transportation: drive yourself to the trailhead
  • Budget reference: under 100 (1 person, transportation + snacks)
  • Physical exertion: 2 stars
  • Best for: those with some fitness base
  • Season and weather: when it’s cool and the sky is clear for good visibility
  • Main highlight: overlooking the “Mini Qiandao Lake” from the summit, climbing through the woods
Overlooking the Mini Qiandao Lake from the summit of Shitou Mountain
The “Mini Qiandao Lake” seen from the summit of Shitou Mountain

Overlooking the Mini Qiandao Lake from the summit. Once you reach the summit of Shitou Mountain, you can look down on a landscape that closely resembles Qiandao Lake—it’s quite a surprise to see a view like this in downtown Zhongshan. If you’re nearby, it’s worth coming to take a look (below is Zhongshan’s Changjiang Reservoir).

Climbing through the woods. This stretch of the trail is very distinctive: you have to pass through a patch of bare woods, with a long section of trail like this, which you rarely see elsewhere. Personally I quite like this kind of trail.

The trail up Shitou Mountain passing through the woods
A long stretch of trail climbs through the woods like this, rarely seen elsewhere
Scenery along the climb up Shitou Mountain
Along the way up

Tips

  1. By transit or by car, just navigate straight to the “Shitou Mountain Trailhead.” Parking nearby is convenient.
  2. Follow the crowd up the whole way, then return the same way after reaching the summit.

Yaji Mountain

Overview

  • Location: Zhongshan
  • Duration: about 3 hours to look around; a full afternoon round trip from downtown Zhongshan
  • Transportation: drive yourself to the foot of the mountain
  • Budget reference: under 100 (1 person, transportation + snacks)
  • Physical exertion: 2 stars
  • Best for: people who love eating pineapples
  • Season and weather: when it’s cool
  • Main highlight: eating pineapples on a mountain planted full of them, hiking up the mountain
Pineapples all over Yaji Mountain
Pineapples all over the mountain

Eating pineapples on a mountain planted full of them. This place isn’t really an attraction—it’s more like a pineapple plantation, and for people who don’t like pineapples it might feel a bit boring. But as someone who loves eating pineapples, seeing the whole mountain covered in them is still quite a thrill. As soon as you enter, you’ll see pineapple decorations on the buildings, and a little farther in there are pineapples covering the entire mountainside.

The pineapples here can be picked yourself. When I went, I saw many people bringing their kids to pick them, which makes for a pretty nice outdoor activity for families. There are also small pineapples for sale everywhere, and gnawing on one in your hand is truly satisfying.

The big and small pineapples of Yaji Mountain
There are big pineapples and small pineapples

Hiking up the mountain. The mountain here isn’t very tall, but the views are fairly open and the scenery is so-so (they say the sunset is beautiful, but we didn’t stay to catch it). If you’re here, I recommend taking a walk, and after finishing the climb it’s also delightful to pack a few small pineapples to take home and eat.

The view from the summit of Yaji Mountain
The fairly open view from the summit
Along the hike up Yaji Mountain
Along the hike

Tips

  1. By transit or by car, just navigate straight to “Yaji Mountain Park.” Parking nearby is convenient.
  2. Follow the crowd up the whole way, then return the same way after reaching the summit.
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