Deep connection

Zhang Bolin, or "Lin Bei", is another superstar among followers of the event. The youngest of the contestants, the 25-year-old has captured the public's imagination with his deep, almost spiritual connection to the environment.

Frequently seen climbing trees with agile ease and mimicking monkey calls in the forest, the traditional Chinese medicine graduate has been described by online commentators as having "abandoned a doctor's career for the wild".

In the videos, Zhang can be seen building his earth-walled shelter between two huge boulders, making a bed out of bamboo leaves, eating wild Chinese gooseberries foraged in the forest with delight, and solving — almost effortlessly — the critical challenge of starting and keeping alive fires in damp conditions.

"While others are trying to survive in the wild, he is vacationing in it," is a typical online response to Zhang's enjoyment of the wild environment.

Having suffered setbacks in his career, Zhang said he felt relaxed when integrating into nature in Zhangjiajie. This connection helps "bury the past frustrations", he said.

This sentiment might partly explain the explosive popularity of the event on social media.

As young urban Chinese are grappling with pressure from work schedules and targets, mortgages, and complex social obligations, the live nature challenge offers them a rare and free emotional escape, said Tian, general manager of the scenic area.

Viewers immersed in the intricate stresses of urban life find themselves captivated by a world where the logic of survival is stripped to its most fundamental core. On screen, the overarching goals of the contestants are primal and pure — to find food and secure shelter. This simplicity of purpose provides a form of mental respite, Tian said.

For many viewers, watching the contestants spend hours painstakingly rubbing a stick to start a fire or patiently constructing a basic shelter offers a special sense of therapy. It serves as a compelling reminder of a simpler existence, where success is measured not by monthly performance reviews or social standings, but by tangible, immediate needs.

"My spiritual exhaustion was healed watching them," said one online comment from a viewer.