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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Want to howl and eat raw food for work? ‘Wild Man' job in Chinese national park goes viral
According to the advertisement, actors should wear wild men attire, patrol on the attraction and occasionally perform abstract dances. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM SHENNONGJIA TOURISM/REDNOTE Want to howl and eat raw food for work? 'Wild Man' job in Chinese national park goes viral HUBEI - A recent advertisement recruiting 'Wild Men' with a daily wage of 500 yuan (S$89) per person in Shennongjia Forestry District, Hubei province, has proved a hit online, attracting about 10,000 job-seekers. The advertised post is for non-player characters (NPCs) - more commonly known as actors or actresses - who can behave like wild men to provide an immersive and interactive experience for tourists. The Shennongjia National Park is famous for its legend of wild men, who are said to be approximately 2m tall, covered in reddish-brown hair, move swiftly and emit a sound resembling a low 'woo woo' cry. According to the advertisement, the NPCs should wear wild men attire, patrol on the attraction and occasionally perform abstract dances. They are strictly restrained from speaking in front of tourists; they can only utter 'woo woo woo' sounds. They should be able to live in the wild for a long time, and accept being fed by visitors, with a preference for those willing to eat raw food. The post is open to all ages and gender as long as they have a healthy body. Both extroverts and introverts can apply. Those who are under great pressure, want to act out their real nature or simply find a place to zone out are welcomed, it said. They should also record the stories of being a wild man through videos with hidden cameras, according to the advertisement. Currently, potential candidates are being recruited through fan groups on short-video platforms. Over 20 fan groups have already been established, each with 500 members, totalling around 10,000 participants. However, only 16 people will be recruited. According to the advertisement, actors should wear wild men attire, patrol on the attraction and occasionally perform abstract dances. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM SHENNONGJIA TOURISM/REDNOTE The work period is from July to August, with accident insurance offered, but those selected will have to arrange their own food and accommodation. 'You may bring your own tent and gather daily necessities independently (except for protected animals and plants), and you should run if confronting unknown creatures,' the advertisement said. A netizen commented on Sina Weibo: 'Who can refuse a job that can be mad and earn money?' Under a related video with some 13,000 views on Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, a lifestyle-sharing platform, a netizen commented: 'I'm willing to pay 500 yuan to play the wild man.' It's not uncommon for scenic areas to recruit NPCs. Tanhe Ancient Town in Ningxiang city, Hunan province, announced it would recruit 100 Jiang Taigong, a famous sage during the Shang Dynasty (16th century to 11th century BC), to go fishing along the river. The advertisement targets farmers aged 60 and older with a wage of 20 yuan per hour. Jiang is the major character in the novel Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods), which is a theme of the attraction. Taihang Wuzhi Mountain scenic area in Handan, Hebei province, offered 6,000 yuan per month to hire actors to play the Monkey King, with the main task being 'eating while trapped under a mountain', a classic plot in the classical novel, Journey to the West. Professor Fu Maozheng, professor from the Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology in Haikou, Hainan province, said this recruitment approach represents an exploration of 'immersive scenario experiences' - transforming static landscapes into dynamic narratives through role-playing interactions. 'It not only satisfies tourists' demands for differentiated experiences but also injects youthful, socialized vitality into scenic areas,' he said. Prof Fu is also a member of the academic committee of the Hainan Provincial Cultural Tourism Integration Product Design and Industrial Development Research Base. He added that it also creates a number of flexible jobs. Professor Wang Jinwei, professor at the School of Tourism Sciences of Beijing International Studies University, said that recruiting NPCs is a marketing method to attract tourists' attention and increase the influence of attractions. 'It's also a way to dig into the cultural characteristics of scenic spots and promote them by transforming ideas and knowledge into perceptible and affable figures. Besides, it makes tourism more fun, like playing a game,' he said. However, attractions should consider if such gaming interprets history and culture correctly and if NPCs' interactions with tourists are appropriate, he added. CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
06-06-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Elderly man in China built a lift to get home, but had to tear it down after video went viral
The lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked the man's apartment to a lamp post across the street. PHOTO: DUSHI PINDAO/REDNOTE The lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked the man's apartment to a lamp post across the street. PHOTO: DUSHI PINDAO/REDNOTE Elderly man in China built a lift to get home, but had to tear it down after video went viral An old man in northeast China who needed a lift up to his apartment on the 5th floor of a lift-less building decided to take matters into his own hands - by building one himself from scratch. That was in 2020 when the man from Huludao city in Liaoning province felt that age was catching up with him. But five years later in 2025, the authorities also caught up with him. That was because the lift system he assembled did not comply with China's Special Equipment Safety Law that covers machinery such as lifts, passenger ropeways and large carnival rides. His suspended lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked his apartment to a lamp post across the street, reported Chinese media outlets. On May 30, a video taken by a netizen showing the man - whose name and age were unknown - riding the lift caught the attention of the authorities. The man claimed that his lift was not a nuisance to the neighbours because it moved silently, and he did not use it after 8pm. He said he found it inconvenient for old people to walk up and down the stairs due to the lack of a lift, and that spurred him to build one at a cost of more than 7,000 yuan (S$1,250). He even successfully applied for a patent for his innovation. But on June 3, he dismantled the lift after he was repeatedly asked by local authorities to do so for his own safety as well as the residents' in the area. Naysayers on Chinese social media Weibo felt that the installation was dangerous for a residential area, and expressed concerns that the metal parts will get corroded by weather. But there were also some who supported the man's innovativeness. 'It can still be used after modification for safety,' wrote one Weibo user, adding that the authorities should not remove it for 'no rhyme or reason'. Another user said: 'I want to get one for my granny too, so that she can make her way up and down easily. Now, she can't even leave the house.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
05-06-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Old man in China built a lift to get home, but had to tear it down after video went viral
The lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked the man's apartment to a lamp post across the street. PHOTO: DUSHI PINDAO/REDNOTE The lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked the man's apartment to a lamp post across the street. PHOTO: DUSHI PINDAO/REDNOTE Old man in China built a lift to get home, but had to tear it down after video went viral An old man in northeast China who needed a lift up to his apartment on the 5th floor of a lift-less building decided to take matters into his own hands - by building one himself from scratch. That was in 2020 when the man from Huludao city in Liaoning province felt that age was catching up with him. But five years later in 2025, the authorities also caught up with him. That was because the lift system he assembled did not comply with China's Special Equipment Safety Law that covers machinery such as lifts, passenger ropeways and large carnival rides. His suspended lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked his apartment to a lamp post across the street, reported Chinese media outlets. On June 2, a video of an interview showing the man - whose name and age were unknown - demonstrating his invention went viral, and caught the attention of the authorities. In the interview, he said his lift was not a nuisance to the neighbours because it moved silently, and he did not use it after 8pm. The man said he found it inconvenient for old people to walk up and down the stairs due to the lack of a lift, and that spurred him to build one at a cost of more than 7,000 yuan (S$1,250). He even successfully applied for a patent for his innovation. But on June 3, he dismantled the lift after he was repeatedly asked by local authorities to do so for his own safety as well as the residents' in the area. Naysayers on Chinese social media Weibo felt that the installation was dangerous for a residential area, and expressed concerns that the metal parts will get corroded by weather. But there were also some who supported the man's innovativeness. 'It can still be used after modification for safety,' wrote one Weibo user, adding that the authorities should not remove it for 'no rhyme or reason'. Another user said: 'I want to get one for my granny too, so that she can make her way up and down easily. Now, she can't even leave the house.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Intel sniffs China's anti-India app in NE, Centre mulls ban
NEW DELHI: Giving a new dimension to information warfare, intelligence agencies have found that China is resorting to plot against India's northeast by using a mobile app - REDNOTE - which lures users with money and other benefits to share and spread anti-national contents, sources said on Sunday. They said that following a report from the intelligence agencies, the government is considering a ban on the online application, as the residents of multiple north-eastern states, including those from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam are seen to be targeted. The intelligence sources said the REDNOTE appeared to be an ordinary app, but a closer analysis revealed that the same was filled with fake RAW documents, disputed maps of India, doctored videos and a few pro-Pakistan contents. They said that the agencies have also found that REDNOTE has deliberately entered the mobile application market with the aim of creating mistrust among youth towards India, posting messages like 'Delhi is far away'. It posts messages with remarks like 'China is closer', which is beneficial for people living in the northeast. The intelligence sources suspect that psychological operations experts from China and Pakistan have put out the app to influence the people of the northeastern states. A senior security officer said, 'Given the geopolitical importance of India's northeast in terms of the country's security, China is applying the same strategy it used earlier in Africa, Taiwan and Hong Kong to create instability.' Now that the ill intent of China has come to light, the government has initiated the necessary procedure to ban it, as India had done earlier against popular Chinese apps like TikTok, ShareIt, and UC Browser, on the pretext of national security, the sources said.
New Indian Express
01-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Chinese mobile app ‘REDNOTE' luring Northeast residents with anti-India content, centre mulls ban
NEW DELHI: Giving a new dimension to information warfare, intelligence agencies have found that China is resorting to plot against India's northeast by using a mobile app - REDNOTE - which lures users with money and other benefits to share and spread anti-national contents, sources said on Sunday. The residents of several north-eastern states, including those from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam, are on the app's radar. Following a report from the intelligence agencies, the government is considering a ban on the online application. The intelligence sources said that REDNOTE looked like an ordinary app, but in a closer analysis, it was found that the same was filled with fake RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) documents, disputed maps of India, doctored videos and a few pro-Pakistan contents. They said, the agencies have also found that REDNOTE has deliberately put in the mobile application market intending to create mistrust among youth towards India with messages like 'Delhi is far away', as it also posts messages with remarks like China is closer, which is beneficial for people living the northeast. The intelligence sources suspect that psychological operations experts from China and Pakistan have put out the app to infiltrate the minds of people living in the northeastern states. A senior security officer said, 'Given the geopolitical importance of India's northeast in terms of the country's security, China is applying the same strategy it used earlier in Africa, Taiwan and Hong Kong to create instability.' Now since ill-intent of China through this app has come to light, the government has initiated the necessary procedure to put a ban on it, as India had done earlier against popular Chinese apps like TikTok, ShareIt and UC Browser, on the pretext of national security, the sources said. It is to be noted here that for the past several years China has been questioning India's sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh and depicted the state as part of 'South Tibet' under its control on its maps, which has always drawn sharp reactions from New Delhi. India has so far banned over 300 Chinese apps since the Galwan clash in June 2020.
