The Guizhou leg, in order
Duyun is the base. Both filming areas are day trips from the city, not places you sleep. Allow two nights minimum.
This is the leg that turns a studio visit into a real pilgrimage. Nothing here was built for a drama — the mist, the karst ridges and the tea terraces are simply how this part of Guizhou looks, which is exactly why the production came here for the shots that had to feel true.
1. Qin-Han Movie & TV City: The Clan Residences
📍 The Spot: This massive studio complex (different from Hengdian!) specializes in Qin and Han dynasty architecture. It is the main filming site for the interiors and courtyards of the major clans.
- Cloud Recesses (The Courtyards): While the interiors were soundstages, the long corridors and white stone steps where Lan Wangji walked were filmed here. You can almost hear the rules being recited on the walls.
- The Unclean Realm (Nie Clan): The dark, imposing stone fortress of the Nie Clan was also filmed here. The contrast between the airy Lan residence and the heavy Nie fortress is stark.
📸 Photo Tip: Rent a white Hanfu at the entrance. The architecture here is grand and symmetrical—perfect for wide-angle shots that mimic the “sect leader” aesthetic.
2. Luosike Mountain (螺蛳壳): The Hidden Waterfalls
📍 The Spot: This is the highlight. The production team chose this remote mountain area for its natural fog and raw beauty.
- The Waterfalls: Remember the scenes near the Cold Pond Cave? Or where Lan Wangji played his Guqin by the water? These were filmed at the waterfalls of Luosike.
- The Dirt Paths: The “back mountain” of Cloud Recesses, where Wei Wuxian caught pheasants and broke rules, is actually the winding roads of this scenic area.
- The Tea Plantations: The surrounding area is famous for “Maojian Tea” (毛尖茶). The endless green fields create that secluded “Gusu” atmosphere.
⚠️ Travel Tip: This is a natural mountain area. There are no subways here. You will likely need to hire a local driver (DiDi or private car) from Duyun city to take you up the mountain and wait for you, as cell service can be spotty.
⏱️ When to go: aim for the shoulder seasons — April–May and September–October. Guizhou is one of China’s wettest provinces, and while the mist is the whole point, heavy summer rain can close the trails and hide the falls behind cloud.
Which Cloud Recesses is which
The Guizhou leg is where most guides get vague. This is the table that fixes it — what you remember from the show, and the real place it came from.
| In the show | Really filmed at | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Recesses — courtyards, corridors | Qin-Han Movie & TV City (都匀秦汉影视城) | White stone steps and long corridors; the closest thing to the Lan residence you can walk |
| The Unclean Realm (Nie Clan) | Qin-Han Movie & TV City | The same complex — the dark, heavy stone fortress courtyards |
| Cold Pond Cave and the waterfalls | Luosike Mountain (螺蛳壳) | Natural falls in cloud forest — no set dressing |
| The back mountain and dirt paths | Luosike Mountain | The winding roads Wei Wuxian ran — now a scenic-area trail |
| Cloud Recesses — interiors (the Jingshi) | A soundstage (not public) | Filmed on set and not visitable; do not plan a trip around it |
| Misty mountain establishing shots | Doupeng Mountain, around Duyun | The look of Gusu — fog, karst ridges and bamboo |
Logistics: how to get to Duyun
Visiting Guizhou requires a bit more planning than Shanghai or Beijing.
| Leg | How | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fly to Guiyang (KWE) | International connections via Shanghai, Beijing or Hong Kong | — | varies |
| Guiyang North → Duyun East | High-speed rail (都匀东站) | ~45 min | ~¥70 (US$10) |
| Duyun → Qin-Han Movie & TV City | Taxi or DiDi; close to the city centre | ~20 min | ~¥20–40 |
| Duyun → Luosike Mountain | Hire a car and driver for a half-day | ~1 hr each way | ~¥300–500 / half-day |
Everything you need before the mountain day is in this table. Our Duyun place guide covers where to stay and eat in the city itself.
| Before you go | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Line up a car and driver for the mountain | Luosike has no metro or bus, and cell signal is patchy — arrange the driver in advance |
| Download offline maps and a translation app | Duyun has far less English signage than Zhejiang |
| Carry a little cash as backup | Alipay and WeChat Pay work, but small vendors and drivers may prefer cash |
| Check the weather before the mountain day | Fog is the point of the scenery, but heavy rain closes trails |
| Wear real walking shoes | The waterfall and back-mountain paths are wet, uneven and steep in places |
| Pack a light rain shell | Guizhou is one of China’s wettest provinces — showers arrive fast |
| Save the Chinese names on your phone | 都匀东站 · 秦汉影视城 · 螺蛳壳 — you will need them for tickets and taxis |
Tickets, hours and what is free at the Qin-Han Movie & TV City
The studio runs on a two-session day. The figures below are the operator’s own published hours (贵州匀影文旅集团, via the Duyun municipal government, 21 September 2026) — but note that the pattern was published for a holiday period, and opening hours here move with the season. Check the official WeChat account (都匀秦汉影视城) the day before you go.
| Session | Open | Tickets sold / last entry | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day | 09:00–17:30 | Sales and gate 09:00–17:00 | The full street-and-courtyard walk; the only session on ordinary days |
| Night | 17:30–22:00 | Sales 17:20–20:20; gate 17:30–20:20 | Costumed shows, parades and the stage sets lit after dark |
Who gets in free (bring the document, not a photo of it): children under 120 cm; visitors aged 70+ (senior card or ID); disabled visitors (disability certificate); serving military (officer certificate); journalists (press card); and tour guides leading a group (guide certificate plus the group itinerary).
Who gets a concession: children 120–140 cm; visitors aged 60–70 (senior card or ID); and veterans (veteran certificate).
What an adult ticket actually costs: the government notice lists the concession categories but not the adult price. Third-party ticketing platforms were listing roughly ¥63 for a day ticket and from ¥59 for the night session when this page was last checked — treat those as indicative, not official, and confirm on the official WeChat account or at the gate. Duyun residents and some neighbouring provinces have historically had local rates.
Buying as a visitor from outside China: the free and concession categories above are all document-based, and your passport is the document that stands in for a Chinese ID card — bring the physical passport, not a photo of it, and carry the same one on the day. Tickets are sold through the operator’s official WeChat account (都匀秦汉影视城) or at the gate; where a Chinese-language form or a self-service machine will not accept a foreign document, the staffed sales window will.
Luosike Mountain: what it costs and how to get up there
Luosike is not a theme park with a gate and a car park. It is a mountain in a national scenic area — the Doupeng Mountain–Jianjiang scenic area, approved by the State Council in January 2004 and made up of five parts: Doupeng Mountain, Luosike, Jianjiang, Duliujiang and Fengzhuan River. That designation is the reason the scenery looks untouched: it is.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where | Roughly 15 km west of Duyun city, in Maojian township |
| Elevation | 1,738 m at the top (its sister peak, Doupeng Mountain, is 1,961 m) |
| Entrance fee | The mountain area itself has no ticket; a few villages charge a small sanitation fee (about ¥10) |
| Getting up | No metro, no useful bus. Arrange a car and driver in Duyun for a half-day — the road has sharp bends and gravel sections, and phone signal is patchy |
| Best seasons | December–February for rime ice above 1,400 m; June–August for the waterfalls in full flow; September–November for the high meadows |
| What was filmed | The cliff and waterfall scenes — including the rock fans call the “devil’s tongue” — and the back-mountain paths |
One honest caveat on prices: the Qiannan prefecture government’s scenic-area listing (2022) shows an admission charge of ¥50 for Doupeng Mountain, while Luosike itself is generally described as free. The two are separate sub-areas of the same designation, and pricing here has moved around. Plan on the mountain being free and Doupeng Mountain possibly not, and check locally.
Common questions
Is Cloud Recesses in Hengdian or in Guizhou?
Both, for different parts. The grand palace-and-street scenes of The Untamed were shot at Hengdian. The misty mountains, waterfalls and the courtyard-and-corridor look of Cloud Recesses come from Duyun in Guizhou. Most guides only cover one of the two.
Can I visit the Jingshi, or the interiors of Cloud Recesses?
No. The interiors were shot on a soundstage and are not open to the public. Do not build a trip around them — the courtyards, corridors and the mountain are what you can actually walk.
Do I need a car?
For the studio city, no — it sits close to Duyun and a taxi or ride-hail gets you there in about twenty minutes. For Luosike, yes: hire a car and driver for a half-day. See the rail guide for the Guiyang–Duyun leg and the apps guide for booking a ride without Chinese.
How long do I need?
Two days: one for the studio city, one for the mountain. That also lines up with the how-many-days guide for a longer China trip.
When should I go?
April–May or September–October. Guizhou is one of China’s wettest provinces: the mist is the whole point, but heavy summer rain closes trails and hides the falls. The best-time guide covers the national holiday calendar, which matters here more than almost anywhere.
Pair it with
- The Untamed in Hengdian — a scene-by-scene photo guide to the sets, and the full Untamed location guide.
- Hengdian — the palaces, the streets and the battlefields. The other half of the map.
- Duyun — where to sleep and eat between the two filming days.
- Every place we cover — the full map, by region.
Related guides
- Browse filming locations by show
- China visa and entry guide
- Paying in China as a foreign visitor
- Every fact-check and update across the site
Pair it with the Hengdian leg
Guizhou offers the nature, while Hengdian offers the palaces. To truly walk in the footsteps of The Untamed, you need to visit both.
If you haven’t planned the Hengdian leg of your trip yet (Koi Tower, Nightless City), check out our main guide below:
👉 Read: The Ultimate Guide to The Untamed in Hengdian
Your next move
Worried about the practical stuff?
Visas, payment, trains and the apps you’ll need before you land — the four things you cannot work out on the ground. Each guide is dated and sourced.
Ready to go?
This is the Guizhou leg of The Untamed. The Duyun guide covers Qin & Han Studio City, tickets and hours.
Last verified
Sources: Duyun Municipal People's Government / 贵州匀影文旅集团, 21 Sep 2026 — Qin-Han Movie & TV City session hours (day 09:00-17:30, night 17:30-22:00) and free/concession categories — https://www.duyun.gov.cn/zwgk/zdlygk/ggwhfw/202609/t20260921_90922812.html · Qiannan Prefecture People's Government — Doupeng Mountain-Jianjiang scenic area: State Council designation Jan 2004, five sub-areas including Luosike; Doupeng Mountain listed AAA with a ¥50 admission — https://www.qiannan.gov.cn/zjqn/qnly/cyqn/sxmp/dys/202205/t20220524_74186524.html · Qiannan Prefecture People's Government — scenic-area directory for Duyun city — https://www.qiannan.gov.cn/zjqn/qnly/cyqn/sxmp/dys/index_1.html · Duyun Municipal People's Government, 18 Apr 2025 — studio city reopened after a full upgrade; described as the largest film-and-tourism complex in southwest China — https://www.duyun.gov.cn/zwgk/zdlygk/ggwhfw/202504/t20250418_87540443.html · Third-party ticketing (Qunar), checked 11 Oct 2026 — indicative adult day ticket about ¥63 and night session from ¥59; not an official price — https://touch.piao.qunar.com/touch/detail_2658007165.html
Spotted something out of date? Email us — or read how corrections work. We check every report against the source and update the page.
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