A Chinese woman, surnamed Dong, has made headlines for winning a unique competition where she abstained from using her mobile phone for eight hours without showing signs of anxiety. Dong, a sales manager at a finance firm, emerged victorious among ten contestants, taking home a prize of 10,000 yuan (approximately Rs 1,16,820), South China Morning Post reported. 

The competition, sponsored by an undisclosed organization in Chongqing, southwestern China, required participants to surrender their electronic devices and adhere to strict rules while spending eight hours on a designated bed. The challenge was designed to highlight the growing dependence on technology and encourage people to embrace mindfulness and digital detox practices.

Contestants were allowed to leave their beds only for brief toilet breaks, limited to five minutes each. A quota was set for the total time spent away from their beds during the eight hours. Meals and drinks were provided, but participants had to consume them in bed. The rules also prohibited contestants from using their mobile phones, falling into a deep sleep, or exhibiting anxiety. To monitor their sleep quality and anxiety levels, contestants wore wrist straps throughout the competition. To pass the time, contestants were allowed to read books or rest with their eyes closed.

Dong reportedly managed this feat with ease, stating that she is accustomed to minimal phone usage in her daily life. She scored an impressive 88.99 out of 100, earning her a 10,000-yuan prize. Dong’s strategy of wearing pyjamas and focusing on relaxation paid off, earning her the nickname “pyjama sister” on social media. Her everyday habits, which include tutoring her child instead of mindlessly browsing her phone, also contributed to her success.

The competition sparked widespread interest on Chinese social media, with many users expressing curiosity and amusement. One user wrote, “I want to join the competition. It seems so interesting and not challenging at all.”

Another commented, “My grandma could win the top prize.”

A young Chinese woman, Li, from Henan province, suffered a severe psychological breakdown after being scolded by her supervisor at work. According to South China Morning Post, Li became catatonic and stopped eating, drinking, moving, or engaging in conversation. This disturbing incident began a month prior when her team leader reprimanded her, leaving her unhappy and ultimately leading to a complete emotional and physical shutdown.

As Li’s condition continued to deteriorate, her physical abilities also severely declined. Her family reported that if they removed the pillow from beneath her head, it would hang limply in mid-air, unable to support itself. Furthermore, she lost control over basic bodily functions, requiring constant assistance from her loved ones to remind her to use the toilet.

Dr. Jia Dehuan, Li’s physician at Zhengzhou Eighth People’s Hospital, described her condition as resembling a “wooden” figure, devoid of movement or responsiveness. According to Dr. Jia, Li was suffering from a catatonic stupor, a severe symptom of depression characterized by immobilisation, unresponsiveness, loss of motor control, and withdrawal from reality. This rare and extreme manifestation of depression is often triggered by intense emotional trauma or stress.

The doctor noted that Li had an introverted personality and struggled to open up to those around her, which ultimately contributed to her more severe condition. Under Dr. Jia’s care, Li received the necessary treatment and support to recover from this critical condition. 

The disturbing incident has sparked widespread concern and debate on mainland Chinese social media. Users expressed shock and sympathy for Li’s ordeal and outrage over workplace bullying and stress. One user wrote, ”If your job is too demanding, it’s better to leave rather than suffer in silence.”

Another commented, ”She had been torturing herself due to her boss’s actions.”

A recent survey by the Chinese Psychological Society shed light on the alarming state of workplace mental health in China. The findings revealed that 4.8% of employees experienced workplace depression, while 80% reported feelings of agitation at work. Additionally, 60% of respondents cited anxiety, and nearly 40% exhibited symptoms of depression, according to Shangguan News (2023). 

The survey’s results highlight the pressing issue of workplace mental health in China, where high work demands, limited job security, poor work-life balance, and inadequate communication contribute to the problem.

A 43-year-old woman in China is being praised online for her remarkable ability to climb cliffs exceeding 100 meters in height without safety gear. According to the South China Morning Post, Luo Dengpin, who has earned the title of “Chinese Spider-Woman,” is recognised as the world’s only female practitioner of the ancient Miao tradition of bare-handed rock climbing. She is able to climb a 108-metre-high cliff, which is equivalent to a 30-storey building, and effortlessly move across vertical rock faces. 

According to SCMP, Ms Luo is currently the only female among the region’s “spider people”. She started rock climbing at the age of 15 under the guidance of her father. Initially, her motivation stemmed from a desire to compete with boys and earn a living by collecting medicinal herbs and gathering bird droppings from swallows’ nests on cliffs, which served as fertiliser.

“They said this was only for boys, but I believe men and women are equal, so I learned. That is how my journey as a spider woman began,” said Ms Luo, while speaking to the BBC in 2017. 

“Before this area was developed, I climbed every day to collect swallows’ droppings. We would scale 108 metres. Foreigners were often frightened by our bare-handed climbing, but I grew accustomed to it. After doing it so many times, my hands became callused,” she said in an interview with Shandong TV.

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Notably, Ms Luo’s exceptional skill is rooted in the ancient Miao practice of cliff burials. The Miao people traditionally inhabit remote and mountainous regions. They believe that high-altitude burials allow the deceased to “look towards their ancestral homeland” in central China. Over time, they have continued to hone their bare-handed climbing skills, a tradition passed down through generations. 

In today’s time, Ms Luo has transformed her skill into a form of entertainment for tourists. “Many visitors wanted to see how we gathered the herbs and paid us to demonstrate. My income isn’t high, but I take pride in being a spider woman,” she stated.

Ms Luo’s story has inspired many on social media. “People in the past were truly capable of everything. Cliffs and steep mountains did not deter them from exploration,” wrote one user. “Kudos to the brave spider woman. Women are just as capable as men, and true masters live among the people,” said another. 

Sam’s Club, a US-based supermarket chain, is facing investigation after a shocking discovery in one of its China branches. According to the South China Morning Post, a customer was left stunned after she found a human tooth in a meat-filled mooncake purchased from the Changzhou location in Jiangsu province. A video posted on Douyin by the woman shows the unsettling find in the 30-yuan ($4) pastry. The disturbing footage shows a hand holding a suspected human molar, covered in meat filling, on a piece of tissue paper next to a partially consumed mooncake. She confirmed the tooth wasn’t from anyone in her family and immediately reported the incident to the police. 

”My family ate this just now… Look at what they ate. It’s terrifying,” a voice can be heard saying.

Sam’s Club has now launched an investigation into the disturbing discovery, while the mooncake manufacturer has denied any possibility of contamination. Speaking to Hongxing News, spokesperson Liu insisted it’s ”impossible” for a tooth to be mixed into the meat filling.

Liu explained that the manufacturing process involves mincing meat, which is then scanned by X-ray machines designed to detect bone fragments. He emphasised that the company has a decade-long track record of incident-free production. The manufacturer has also handed over surveillance footage for review by Sam’s Club and the Changzhou market regulatory department. 

Online reactions ranged from disgust to dark humour, with one user joking, ”Mooncake: now with meat and a side of calcium!”

However, another user offered an alternative explanation, suggesting the customer double-check if a family member unknowingly lost a tooth. He wrote, ”It’s possible to lose part of a tooth without feeling any pain, so they might not even realize it’s missing.”

Sam’s Club has faced food safety concerns in China before. In 2022, a woman from Fujian province alleged that her uncle discovered three artificial human teeth inside Swiss rolls bought from a Sam’s Club store. The uncle reportedly broke his teeth after biting into the product. Although the store promised an investigation, no definitive findings were ever made public.