<p>Hydraulic fracturing is a crucial reservoir stimulation technique for shale gas exploitation. As a product of mineral directional sedimentation in shale gas reservoirs, bedding plane is intimately related to the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing. To investigate the influence of bedding planes at different reservoir-forming angles on shale hydraulic fracturing, a series of hydraulic fracturing experiments were conducted under different bedding angles and crustal stresses. The variations of fracture pressure and fracture pattern with bedding angle were revealed, and the influence of bedding plane on the propagation mechanism of hydraulic fractures was expounded. Results show that the fracture pressure exhibits a peak variation with increasing bedding angle. Sample fracturing under increased confining pressure requires higher fracture pressure, whereas improving deviatoric stress produces the opposite effect. Four main hydraulic fracture patterns were observed. The joint action of bedding plane and crustal stress is responsible for the diverse fracture patterns. The dominance of the bedding plane over the fracture pattern is more significant with the increase of the bedding angle, which is attenuated in response to increasing confining pressure. A criterion to predict hydraulic fracture patterns using bedding angle and vertical stress difference coefficient was proposed. These findings can provide a theoretical reference for evaluating the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing in shale gas reservoir stimulation.</p>