A mountain in central China has drawn online attention after posting a job advertisement for a “cloud observer” to live on its summit for one month.

Located in the central Henan province, Laojun Mountain — among the top tourist attractions in China, according to the country’s official rankings — was once the spiritual retreat of Laozi, the founder of Taoism, according to folk legends.

With a peak elevation of 2,217 meters, the mountain is known for its “sea of clouds” phenomenon, or yunhai, in which the peak sits above the clouds, offering an unobstructed view of the sky. The phenomenon occurs most frequently in July and August, according to the mountain’s official WeChat account. 

The recruitment notice, posted last Wednesday across multiple social media platforms, states that the successful applicant will live at the mountain’s summit from July 16 to Aug. 15, producing at least one short video of the scenery each day to better document the phenomenon’s beauty. The position pays 60,000 yuan ($8,800) for the month and provides accommodation and meals.

Applicants are required to publish videos on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, using designated hashtags, with the final selection based on the number of likes the video receives, its virality, and video quality. Submissions close July 15.

As of Monday, a related hashtag had accumulated more than 14 million views on Douyin, with numerous photography bloggers and content creators sharing photos and videos of the mountain online in hopes of being selected. 

In the comments, some pointed out that the position may not be suitable for everyone due to its short contract, secluded living conditions, and demanding content production requirements. Others speculated that the recruitment is part of an ongoing strategy by the scenic area to generate online traffic.

Since 2020, Laojun Mountain’s management has encouraged users to post videos about the mountain by offering cash rewards. Videos reaching 1 million views on Douyin earn 1,000 yuan, plus 1,000 yuan for every extra million views, capped at 10,000 yuan per video. An article published on the scenic area’s official WeChat account revealed that one video creator had been awarded a total of 117,000 yuan last year, with 30 others receiving roughly 300,000 yuan between them.

According to domestic media, the scenic area has also encouraged its staff to run online accounts to publicize the destination. Employees who produce 60 short videos a year receive a 1,500-yuan bonus, with additional rewards of up to 10,000 yuan per video depending on view counts. 

With roughly 2 million followers on Douyin, Laojun Mountain has one of the most popular scenic area accounts in China. From 2019 to 2023, videos geotagged “Laojun Mountain Scenic Area” accumulated more than 14 billion views on the short video platform alone. During the same period, annual visitor numbers rose from 760,000 to more than 4.5 million, while revenue increased from 180 million yuan to approximately 1 billion yuan. The scenic area generated over 1.2 billion yuan in revenue in 2025.

In recent years, several scenic spots in the country have similarly gone viral by offering unconventional jobs designed to attract online attention, often catering to young people. In 2024, the East Taihang Scenic Area in China’s northern Hebei province went viral for recruiting college students to pretend to be cavemen. This June, Luohe Wildlife Zoo in the neighboring Henan province went viral after recruiting workers to dress up as black bears. 

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: The summit of Laojun Mountain, Luanchuan County, Henan province, 2026. VCG)