diff --git a/src/test_typing_extensions.py b/src/test_typing_extensions.py
index 77876b7f..64cd5e77 100644
--- a/src/test_typing_extensions.py
+++ b/src/test_typing_extensions.py
@@ -5255,7 +5255,7 @@ def test_typing_extensions_defers_when_possible(self):
         if sys.version_info < (3, 10, 1):
             exclude |= {"Literal"}
         if sys.version_info < (3, 11):
-            exclude |= {'final', 'Any', 'NewType'}
+            exclude |= {'final', 'Any', 'NewType', 'ForwardRef'}
         if sys.version_info < (3, 12):
             exclude |= {
                 'SupportsAbs', 'SupportsBytes',
diff --git a/src/typing_extensions.py b/src/typing_extensions.py
index 1666e96b..7b23e759 100644
--- a/src/typing_extensions.py
+++ b/src/typing_extensions.py
@@ -1042,7 +1042,143 @@ def greet(name: str) -> None:
 
 if hasattr(typing, "Required"):  # 3.11+
     get_type_hints = typing.get_type_hints
+    ForwardRef = typing.ForwardRef
+
 else:  # <=3.10
+    if hasattr(_types, "GenericAlias"):
+        _generic_alias_bases = (typing._GenericAlias, _types.GenericAlias)
+    else:
+        _generic_alias_bases = (typing._GenericAlias,)
+
+
+    def _is_union_type(t):
+        return hasattr(_types, "UnionType") and isinstance(t, _types.UnionType)
+
+    class ForwardRef(typing._Final, _root=True):
+        """Internal wrapper to hold a forward reference."""
+
+        __slots__ = ('__forward_arg__', '__forward_code__',
+                     '__forward_evaluated__', '__forward_value__',
+                     '__forward_is_argument__', '__forward_is_class__',
+                     '__forward_module__')
+
+        def __init__(self, arg, is_argument=True, module=None, *, is_class=False):
+            if not isinstance(arg, str):
+                raise TypeError(f"Forward reference must be a string -- got {arg!r}")
+
+            # If we do `def f(*args: *Ts)`, then we'll have `arg = '*Ts'`.
+            # Unfortunately, this isn't a valid expression on its own, so we
+            # do the unpacking manually.
+            if arg[0] == '*':
+                arg_to_compile = f'({arg},)[0]'  # E.g. (*Ts,)[0] or (*tuple[int, int],)[0]
+            else:
+                arg_to_compile = arg
+            try:
+                code = compile(arg_to_compile, '<string>', 'eval')
+            except SyntaxError:
+                raise SyntaxError(f"Forward reference must be an expression -- got {arg!r}")
+
+            self.__forward_arg__ = arg
+            self.__forward_code__ = code
+            self.__forward_evaluated__ = False
+            self.__forward_value__ = None
+            self.__forward_is_argument__ = is_argument
+            self.__forward_is_class__ = is_class
+            self.__forward_module__ = module
+
+        def _evaluate(self, globalns, localns, recursive_guard):
+            if self.__forward_arg__ in recursive_guard:
+                return self
+            if not self.__forward_evaluated__ or localns is not globalns:
+                if globalns is None and localns is None:
+                    globalns = localns = {}
+                elif globalns is None:
+                    globalns = localns
+                elif localns is None:
+                    localns = globalns
+                if self.__forward_module__ is not None:
+                    globalns = getattr(
+                        sys.modules.get(self.__forward_module__, None), '__dict__', globalns
+                    )
+                type_ = _type_check(
+                    eval(self.__forward_code__, globalns, localns),
+                    "Forward references must evaluate to types.",
+                    is_argument=self.__forward_is_argument__,
+                    allow_special_forms=self.__forward_is_class__,
+                )
+                self.__forward_value__ = _eval_type(
+                    type_, globalns, localns, recursive_guard | {self.__forward_arg__}
+                )
+                self.__forward_evaluated__ = True
+            return self.__forward_value__
+
+        def __eq__(self, other):
+            if not isinstance(other, (ForwardRef, typing.ForwardRef)):
+                return NotImplemented
+            if self.__forward_evaluated__ and other.__forward_evaluated__:
+                return (self.__forward_arg__ == other.__forward_arg__ and
+                        self.__forward_value__ == other.__forward_value__)
+            return (self.__forward_arg__ == other.__forward_arg__ and
+                    self.__forward_module__ == other.__forward_module__)
+
+        def __hash__(self):
+            return hash((self.__forward_arg__, self.__forward_module__))
+
+        def __or__(self, other):
+            return Union[self, other]
+
+        def __ror__(self, other):
+            return Union[other, self]
+
+        def __repr__(self):
+            if self.__forward_module__ is None:
+                module_repr = ''
+            else:
+                module_repr = f', module={self.__forward_module__!r}'
+            return f'ForwardRef({self.__forward_arg__!r}{module_repr})'
+
+
+    def _type_check(arg, msg, is_argument=True, module=None, *, allow_special_forms=False):
+        """Check that the argument is a type, and return it (internal helper).
+
+        As a special case, accept None and return type(None) instead. Also wrap strings
+        into ForwardRef instances. Consider several corner cases, for example plain
+        special forms like Union are not valid, while Union[int, str] is OK, etc.
+        The msg argument is a human-readable error message, e.g.::
+
+            "Union[arg, ...]: arg should be a type."
+
+        We append the repr() of the actual value (truncated to 100 chars).
+        """
+        invalid_generic_forms = (Generic, Protocol)
+        if not allow_special_forms:
+            invalid_generic_forms += (ClassVar,)
+            if is_argument:
+                invalid_generic_forms += (Final,)
+
+        arg = _type_convert(arg, module=module, allow_special_forms=allow_special_forms)
+        if (isinstance(arg, typing._GenericAlias) and
+                arg.__origin__ in invalid_generic_forms):
+            raise TypeError(f"{arg} is not valid as type argument")
+        if arg in (Any, LiteralString, NoReturn, Never, Self, TypeAlias):
+            return arg
+        if allow_special_forms and arg in (ClassVar, Final):
+            return arg
+        if isinstance(arg, _SpecialForm) or arg in (Generic, Protocol):
+            raise TypeError(f"Plain {arg} is not valid as type argument")
+        if type(arg) is tuple:
+            raise TypeError(f"{msg} Got {arg!r:.100}.")
+        return arg
+
+
+    def _type_convert(arg, module=None, *, allow_special_forms=False):
+        """For converting None to type(None), and strings to ForwardRef."""
+        if arg is None:
+            return type(None)
+        if isinstance(arg, str):
+            return ForwardRef(arg, module=module, is_class=allow_special_forms)
+        return arg
+
     # replaces _strip_annotations()
     def _strip_extras(t):
         """Strips Annotated, Required and NotRequired from a given type."""
@@ -1060,7 +1196,7 @@ def _strip_extras(t):
             if stripped_args == t.__args__:
                 return t
             return _types.GenericAlias(t.__origin__, stripped_args)
-        if hasattr(_types, "UnionType") and isinstance(t, _types.UnionType):
+        if _is_union_type(t):
             stripped_args = tuple(_strip_extras(a) for a in t.__args__)
             if stripped_args == t.__args__:
                 return t
@@ -1100,15 +1236,124 @@ def get_type_hints(obj, globalns=None, localns=None, include_extras=False):
         - If two dict arguments are passed, they specify globals and
           locals, respectively.
         """
-        if hasattr(typing, "Annotated"):  # 3.9+
-            hint = typing.get_type_hints(
-                obj, globalns=globalns, localns=localns, include_extras=True
+        if getattr(obj, "__no_type_check__", None):
+            return {}
+        # Classes require a special treatment.
+        if isinstance(obj, type):
+            hints = {}
+            for base in reversed(obj.__mro__):
+                if globalns is None:
+                    base_globals = getattr(
+                        sys.modules.get(base.__module__, None), "__dict__", {}
+                    )
+                else:
+                    base_globals = globalns
+                ann = base.__dict__.get("__annotations__", {})
+                if isinstance(ann, _types.GetSetDescriptorType):
+                    ann = {}
+                base_locals = dict(vars(base)) if localns is None else localns
+                if localns is None and globalns is None:
+                    # This is surprising, but required.  Before Python 3.10,
+                    # get_type_hints only evaluated the globalns of
+                    # a class.  To maintain backwards compatibility, we reverse
+                    # the globalns and localns order so that eval() looks into
+                    # *base_globals* first rather than *base_locals*.
+                    # This only affects ForwardRefs.
+                    base_globals, base_locals = base_locals, base_globals
+                for name, value in ann.items():
+                    if value is None:
+                        value = type(None)
+                    if isinstance(value, str):
+                        value = ForwardRef(value, is_argument=False, is_class=True)
+                    value = _eval_type(value, base_globals, base_locals)
+                    hints[name] = value
+            return (
+                hints
+                if include_extras
+                else {k: _strip_extras(t) for k, t in hints.items()}
             )
-        else:  # 3.8
-            hint = typing.get_type_hints(obj, globalns=globalns, localns=localns)
-        if include_extras:
-            return hint
-        return {k: _strip_extras(t) for k, t in hint.items()}
+
+        if globalns is None:
+            if isinstance(obj, _types.ModuleType):
+                globalns = obj.__dict__
+            else:
+                nsobj = obj
+                # Find globalns for the unwrapped object.
+                while hasattr(nsobj, "__wrapped__"):
+                    nsobj = nsobj.__wrapped__
+                globalns = getattr(nsobj, "__globals__", {})
+            if localns is None:
+                localns = globalns
+        elif localns is None:
+            localns = globalns
+        hints = getattr(obj, "__annotations__", None)
+        if hints is None:
+            # Return empty annotations for something that _could_ have them.
+            if isinstance(obj, typing._allowed_types):
+                return {}
+            else:
+                raise TypeError(
+                    "{!r} is not a module, class, method, " "or function.".format(obj)
+                )
+        hints = dict(hints)
+        for name, value in hints.items():
+            if value is None:
+                value = type(None)
+            if isinstance(value, str):
+                # class-level forward refs were handled above, this must be either
+                # a module-level annotation or a function argument annotation
+                value = ForwardRef(
+                    value,
+                    is_argument=not isinstance(obj, _types.ModuleType),
+                    is_class=False,
+                )
+            hints[name] = _eval_type(value, globalns, localns)
+        return (
+            hints if include_extras else {k: _strip_extras(t) for k, t in hints.items()}
+        )
+
+    def _eval_type(t, globalns, localns, recursive_guard=frozenset()):
+        if isinstance(t, (ForwardRef, typing.ForwardRef)):
+            if not hasattr(t, '__forward_is_class__'):
+                return t._evaluate(globalns, localns)
+            return t._evaluate(globalns, localns, recursive_guard)
+
+
+        if isinstance(t, _generic_alias_bases) or _is_union_type(t):
+            if hasattr(_types, "GenericAlias") and isinstance(t, _types.GenericAlias):
+                args = tuple(
+                    ForwardRef(arg) if isinstance(arg, str) else arg
+                    for arg in t.__args__
+                )
+                is_unpacked = t.__unpacked__
+                if _should_unflatten_callable_args(t, args):
+                    t = t.__origin__[(args[:-1], args[-1])]
+                else:
+                    t = t.__origin__[args]
+                if is_unpacked:
+                    t = Unpack[t]
+            ev_args = tuple(_eval_type(a, globalns, localns, recursive_guard) for a in t.__args__)
+            if ev_args == t.__args__:
+                return t
+            if hasattr(_types, "GenericAlias") and isinstance(t, _types.GenericAlias):
+                return typing.GenericAlias(t.__origin__, ev_args)
+            if _is_union_type(t):
+                return functools.reduce(operator.or_, ev_args)
+            else:
+                return t.copy_with(ev_args)
+        return t
+
+    def _should_unflatten_callable_args(typ, args):
+        return (
+            typ.__origin__ is collections.abc.Callable
+            and not (len(args) == 2 and _is_param_expr(args[0]))
+        )
+
+    def _is_param_expr(arg):
+        return arg is ... or isinstance(arg,
+                (tuple, list, ParamSpec, _ConcatenateGenericAlias))
+
+
 
 
 # Python 3.9+ has PEP 593 (Annotated)
@@ -3021,7 +3266,6 @@ def __eq__(self, other: object) -> bool:
 Collection = typing.Collection
 Container = typing.Container
 Dict = typing.Dict
-ForwardRef = typing.ForwardRef
 FrozenSet = typing.FrozenSet
 Generator = typing.Generator
 Generic = typing.Generic