S'pore Women Warn Tourists To Research Viral Chongqing Motorbike Shoots After Disappointing Experience: "They Were Prioritising Volume Over Quality"

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You've probably seen those viral videos of tourists riding pillion on motorbikes through the neon-lit streets of Chongqing, China.

Think dramatic music, cinematic camera angles and a handsome rider who looks like he walked straight out of a C-drama.

Sounds like the ultimate main-character experience, right?

Well, for Singaporean content creators Cheryl Tay and Ferina Arriyani, recreating the viral Chongqing motorbike trend turned out to be anything but the romantic fantasy they'd imagined.

And no, it wasn't because their videos looked bad.

It was the experience behind the scenes that left them disappointed.

The pair recently took to Instagram to share their experience, warning fellow travellers against booking with the first operator who approaches them without doing some research.

Speaking to 8days.sg, Cheryl reveals that the entire shoot felt so rushed that she and Ferina barely had time to process what was happening.

"Everything happened so fast that we didn't even have time to think. The minute the rider came to the roadside, they put the helmet onto Ferina, got her on the back of the bike and quickly taught her the moves. And then they got frustrated when she messed up or couldn't understand them properly," Cheryl tells us.

"Then they moved off and shot the on-road scenes and came back for me. Everything happened so fast,” she added.

What they were promised vs what they got

According to Cheryl, their experience began when a woman approached them on the street near Hongya Cave and asked if they wanted to try the viral motorbike shoot.

Before agreeing, Cheryl had a couple of questions.

Could she ride the motorbike herself? And would they get to choose their riders?

"The lady said, 'Yeah sure, you can ride if you have a licence, no problem,' and that they'd give us a few different guys, different types of vibes, for us to choose from," Cheryl recalled in their Instagram video.

Sounds promising enough.

The pair paid a deposit and were subsequently given a meeting point for their appointment.

But when they arrived, things didn't quite go according to plan.

First, they were brought to a wardrobe area to rent outfits.

And let's just say Cheryl wasn't particularly impressed with the selection.

"Clothes were a little bit smelly. I don't actually think that they wash it properly, and also the material, so I felt like I had a hundred people's sweat on me lah," she said in the video.

"First and foremost, bring your own outfit, guys,” advised Ferina.

Noted.

Next came the part they had been looking forward to: meeting their riders.

Except there was no choosing involved.

"I think it dawned upon us that we weren't going to choose anybody," Ferina recalled.

According to Cheryl, they had initially been told the experience would take around 15 to 20 minutes per person.

Instead, she felt the staff were more concerned with getting through the shoots as quickly as possible than making the experience enjoyable.

"They kept rushing us. They were prioritising volume over quality, and it came off in their body language, in the way they speak, in their attitude. They were very impatient," she said in the Instagram video.

Ferina, who doesn't understand Mandarin, had an especially uncomfortable experience.

In their Instagram video, she described her rider's manner as intimidating, particularly as she wasn't used to riding motorbikes.

She also claimed he roughly repositioned her hands when she wasn't holding on correctly.

Cheryl, however, clarified to 8days.sg that Ferina didn't feel physically unsafe. Rather, it was the rider's rough manner that made her uncomfortable.

The pair also felt the staff appeared more frustrated with Ferina because she couldn't understand Mandarin, though Cheryl acknowledged that this was their impression and not something anyone explicitly said.

And while Cheryl understood that the operators were busy, she felt that basic courtesy shouldn't have been too much to ask.

"Obviously I don't expect you to roll out the red carpet and treat me like a princess, but I'm just saying basic respect," she said in the clip.

Where's the C-drama romance?

For Cheryl, there was another disappointment.

She had actually gone into the shoot hoping to create something a little different from the usual Chongqing motorbike videos.

Instead of simply sitting behind a rider and looking wistfully into the distance, she wanted to recreate the chemistry of a romantic C-drama scene.

You know, the kind where the male and female leads exchange meaningful glances while cruising through the city.

"I wanted more chemistry/vibes with the rider, like a little love story almost. But it felt like I was just on the bike by myself at the back doing my own thing," she tells us.

Unfortunately, with everything moving so quickly, Cheryl never got the chance to discuss her ideas with the team.

And while the final video looked perfectly fine, it wasn't quite the main-character moment she'd envisioned.

"The video turned out like the usual standard template of the trend, it wasn't badly shot and what I meant was the production quality was ok. But I just feel a bit 'gek sim' when I watch it because there really was no chemistry or any storyline to it," Cheryl admits.

So much for starring in her own C-drama.

They paid S$72 each for the experience

Cheryl also reveals that she and Ferina each paid 398 yuan (S$72) for the experience, which included a 10-minute motorbike and on-ground shoot.

Cheryl forked out another 100 yuan (S$18) to rent an outfit.

After posting about their experience, she heard from other tourists who said they'd paid between 199 and 298 yuan (S$36 to S$54) for similar shoots.

However, it's unclear whether those tourists had booked comparable packages.

Naturally, learning that others may have paid less didn't exactly make Cheryl feel better about the experience.

But did she try contacting the operator to ask for an explanation or refund?

"Nah, I was so disappointed with them I didn't bother," she tells us.

Despite the underwhelming experience, Cheryl hasn't completely given up on her C-drama fantasy.

In fact, she's open to trying the trend again.

Just definitely not with the same operator.

"I would do my research properly and find an operator that someone has used before and has had a good experience with. Definitely would change the rider and also the entire storyline," she tells us.

After sharing her experience online, Cheryl also received messages from other Singaporeans who had tried the trend.

And it seems experiences vary quite a bit.

"Some with similar woes, some with better experiences. And they have also recommended me their operators. Looks like I need to go back!" she says.

Looking back, Cheryl admits there was one thing she should have done differently from the start.

"My mistake was not doing research," she says.

Her advice to anyone heading to Chongqing to recreate the viral trend? Don't feel pressured to sign up with the first salesperson who approaches you.

Instead, compare prices, check reviews and ask people who've already tried it for recommendations.

And if you're hoping to film your own mini C-drama, make sure to discuss your storyline with the operator before paying.

As Cheryl put it in her Instagram video:

"Please do your research, please do your homework, go online and search, pre-book and then find somebody who has done it before, ask them who their contact was."

After all, if you're paying to live out your C-drama fantasy, the least you should get is a little main-character treatment, right?