Tourists flock to Chongqing for viral motorbike video experience
Chongqing has become a viral tourism destination due to its unique motorcycle culture and cyberpunk aesthetic. Tourists are flocking to the city to hire professional riders and videographers for high-octane social media content.
Why it matters
This trend illustrates the power of social media in shaping modern tourism and the economic impact of niche cultural phenomena in Chinese mega-cities.
Tourists chase high-octane thrill in China’s trending biker capital
CHONGQING: The roar of engines fills the night air in the city as tourists awkwardly clamber onto gleaming motorbikes and cling to muscular drivers to star in personalised videos.
Teams of sellers hawk their filming services to passersby, many of whom have been drawn to the city and its cyberpunk image by motorbiking videos on social media shot against the neon-lit nightscape.
“I flew from Shanghai to Chongqing this morning, and the first priority is this shoot,” 30-year-old Liu Changqing told AFP, dressed in one of the heavy motorcycle jackets rented to customers, despite the sweltering heat.
“They even have make-up artists to help you,” she said as she mounted a crimson superbike, wrapped her arms around her driver and sped off with a videographer in pursuit.
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