A woman in southwestern China won 10,000 yuan (Rs 1, 16,000) from a competition for abstaining from mobile phone use for eight hours while exhibiting no signs of anxiety.
The contest took place at a shopping centre in Chongqing municipality on November 29, as reported by Jimu News.
Ten contestants, selected from 100 applicants, were invited to the mall to participate in the competition, which required them to spend eight hours on a designated new bed. Before the contest, they surrendered their mobile phones and were prohibited from using any other electronic devices, including iPads and laptops, the South China Morning Post reported.
In emergency situations, participants could use older mobile phone models with only calling capabilities, provided by the competition organisers, to contact their families.
They were also required to adhere to a bed restriction rule, which allowed them to leave the bed for toilet breaks, but limited them to a maximum of five minutes each time.
The organisers set a quota for the total amount of time contestants could be away from their beds throughout the eight-hour period, although this detail was not disclosed in the news report.
Drinks and meals were provided, and participants were instructed to consume them in bed.
In addition to being prohibited from using their mobile phones, competitors were not allowed to fall into a deep sleep or exhibit anxiety. They wore wrist straps to monitor their sleep quality and anxiety levels.
Most contestants spent their time reading books or simply resting with their eyes closed.
Ultimately, after verification by event officials, a woman surnamed Dong was declared the champion, achieving a comprehensive score of 88.99 out of 100. The organisers noted that she spent the longest time in bed, did not experience deep sleep, and displayed the lowest level of anxiety.
The 10,000-yuan prizewinner donned pyjamas for the competition, earning her the nickname “pyjama sister” on mainland social media as the no-mobile-phone race gained viral attention online.
Dong is a sales manager at a finance firm. In her spare time, she typically tutors her child and rarely browses her mobile phone aimlessly.
The identity of the company sponsoring the competition and the purpose behind holding this event, which occurred in a mattress and bedding shop within the mall, remains undisclosed.
