Zhang Qian

    zhqcindy@163.com

    CAMPING in a cold, wet abandoned shack is what Winston Sterzel did on the seventh day of his South China motorcycle tour. Sterzel and four others are filming a documentary about their 16-day trip that they hope will be out around Christmas time.

    “I want to show the diversity of Chinese lives,” Sterzel said yesterday, during a short break from riding. “Many people don’t get to see the real Chinese rural lives.”

    Along with muddy roads, the crew has dealt with flat tires, been rejected from hotels and been asked to fill their motorbikes with a teapot instead of a gas pump.

    The South African is uploading “behind the scenes” footage from the trip to YouTube and Youku, with the YouTube videos already racking up more than 10,000 views.

    “The comments I’ve received so far are very positive and people are very interested to know more about the places we show,” said Sterzel. “Even Chinese people have never been to these remote places before.”

    With Sterzel is another biker, a driver and two cameramen. Yesterday they traveled Guizhou Province’s muddy roads as part of the tour through Guangdong, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan.

    “Guizhou has the most beautiful and stunning scenery, but at the same time the worst roads,” said Sterzel.

    They are halfway through their South China trip and preparing for a three-day ride to Yunnan.

    Sterzel is effectively Shenzhen’s face on YouTube, with his 584 mostly Shenzhen-centric videos having been viewed about 8 million times since he began posting in 2006. Searching “Shenzhen” on YouTube brings up his picture, linking to videos where he talks about living in Shenzhen, finding jobs and intercultural relationships.

    Comments on Sterzel’s videos throughout the years have helped shape the South China tour.

    “Some advice is really good, but there are some places we’re finding are not so good,” said Sterzel. “But still, it’s good to explore and try new things.”

    Around 5 a.m. today, Sterzel and his friends planned to pack up and start the long journey to Yunnan. The crew plans on flying back to Shenzhen and shipping their motorbikes.

    “We want to see and experience the real China,” said Sterzel.