A river rafting tourist attraction in southwestern China has come under fire for offering “temporary girlfriends” and “very attractive” female companions who hold hands with, hug, and kiss customers while they raft.

Reported widely last week, the female companion service was offered by Luobei River Drifting, a popular rafting attraction in Guizhou province, beginning this summer. The rafting route, known for its thrilling rapids, lasts between 1.5 and 4 hours and covers up to 12.5 kilometers. Tickets cost up to 238 yuan ($35) per person.

In recent years, rafting attractions around China, including in the central Henan province, the eastern Jiangsu province, and the southern Hainan province, have launched scripted “NPC” rafting experiences, hiring workers to act as wolves, monkeys, bears, and frogs, as well as characters from the classic novel “Journey to the West” while customers raft. Related videos on Chinese social media have garnered tens of thousands of likes. 

An undercover reporter at High Wind News, a platform under state-run media outlet Chinese Business View, posing as a customer contacted the attraction’s customer service on the messaging app WeChat, which informed them that they could choose from three service packages: a 398-yuan “highly attractive” companion who accompanies the rider with no additional physical contact, a 1,288-yuan partner with “upgraded appearance with polite physical contact,” and a 1,988-yuan “temporary girlfriend” option. 

Customer service sent the reporter several photos — purported to be real pictures of the female companions — along with profiles of more than 30 women, including their height, weight, and age. Some photos were labeled “pure green,” indicating the companion’s service does not include “sexual behavior or contact.”

“The 1,988-yuan package is just like dating — you can hold hands, hug, and kiss,” the staff member told the undercover reporter, hinting that there could be further meetups after the initial rafting encounter. 

“We create a legitimate setting for you to meet and communicate. We’re essentially just the intermediary,” the customer service representative added, claiming to receive around 400 groups of customers a day. The staff member also said the rafting park had more than 1,000 workers and required companions to be reserved in advance.

An account on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, by the name of “Luobei River NPC Scripted Drifting” had reportedly posted promotional videos of young women accompanying tourists during rafting and water activities, with slogans such as, “What heals you isn’t the scenery, but the emotional value.” The account has since been deleted.

Employees at the tourist attraction later confirmed to domestic media that companion services were available and directed reporters to the same customer service WeChat account.

In an official announcement posted on WeChat last Thursday, however, the company behind the park denied any connection to the female companion service, saying a separate company had privately launched the service. 

A day later, on July 31, the local tourism bureau announced that Luobei River Drifting had agreed to collaborate with a management company specializing in upgraded rafting experiences, where tourists become the protagonists in stories instead of passive sightseers. According to the company’s official WeChat account, it had signed the cooperation agreement on May 6.

On July 31, the rafting operator was ordered by the local government to suspend operations for “rectification.”

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: Female rafting companions. From Xiaohongshu)