Reward 400000 yuan? The truth is here!, Challenge 35 Days Without Electronic Products

Self discipline Challenge Room,

Successfully challenged without using electronic devices within 35 days,

The bonus is as high as 400000 yuan

Recently,

A company in Chengdu, Sichuan Province is shouting slogans,

And to sign up for this challenge

A deposit of 7000 yuan is required.

Some people believe that this is a scam,

Some people also believe that they can complete challenges and win high bonuses.

On August 28th, a journalist from Jimu News arrived at the company's headquarters in Qingyang District, Chengdu and found that the door was tightly locked.

On social media platforms, challenges such as self-discipline, confinement, and loneliness can be said to be blooming everywhere. A staff member of a company that operates a similar challenge project stated that they have been in operation for about three years and stated that challengers can bring their lawyers for investigation before registering. In addition, similar event organizers claim that the success rate of completing over 30 days of challenges is only 0.3%.

A lawyer told Jimu News reporters that many provisions in such contracts are relatively vague, and the rules are formulated by the store and the activities are promoted by the store. There is also a lack of third-party supervision, and challengers need to be cautious.

In addition, psychological counselors also remind that engaging in a tough and prolonged closed life for the sake of bonuses is an extreme psychological test that cannot achieve self-discipline and may also affect physical and mental health.

Self discipline Challenge Room Signboard Image Source Media Report

The Chengdu Self discipline Challenge Room is empty

The "518 Self Discipline Challenge Room" located on Qingjiang East Road in Qingyang District, Chengdu, has a shop sign that reads "Regular hotels provide accommodation and meals, no electronic products are used within 30 days of the challenge, and the successful prize money can reach up to 400000 yuan. Insurance compensation will be paid and the prize money will be credited on the same day.".

After this sign was seen by passing citizens, a video was taken and posted online. Some netizens have expressed that this is a scam that is difficult to challenge successfully; Some netizens also expressed that high school is a routine of life and cannot use electronic devices, so such challenges are not difficult.

The reporter saw from the contract related to the challenge room exposed online that it stated "no electronic entertainment products are allowed to be carried, mobile phones are allowed to be used for 3 minutes every day", "no contact or communication with the outside world. When encountering inspections or public officials knocking on the door, the door can be opened for dialogue", "after 22:00, the lights must be turned off to sleep, and before 6am, the lights must be turned on and windows cannot be opened. If windows need to be opened, a note can be left for staff to open" and other regulations.

In addition, the contract clearly states that the challenge area is monitored 24 hours a day, and cameras cannot be avoided. Books, Rubik's Cube, cross stitch, etc. can be carried, and electronic entertainment products are not allowed.

Challengers need to pay a deposit of 7000 yuan. If the challenge is successful, a reward of 300000 yuan will be given for 30 days and 400000 yuan for 35 days.

On August 28th, a journalist from Jimu News saw at the Self Discipline Challenge Room located on Qingjiang East Road in Qingyang District that the store's sign had been removed and the door was tightly locked. Through the door, you can see the sign of "518 Self Discipline Challenge Room" inside the house, as well as sofas, chairs, and other items. There are also cigarette boxes, tea sets, and other items placed on the table.

The self-discipline challenge room is empty, taken by Xie Mao, a journalist from Jimu News

According to media reports, the staff of the challenge room stated that 17 people have successfully challenged before, and the company registration information shows that it was established on August 9, 2023.

On social media, a user with the ID "518 Self Discipline Challenge Room Legal Person" wrote in their profile, "The first person to eat crabs has doubts about normal behavior. I and the company are willing to fully cooperate with all departments to investigate. The company has not engaged in any illegal or irregular behavior, but is only cooperating with the investigation stage."

A staff member from the Market Supervision Administration of Qingyang District, Chengdu, stated that they received a complaint about this matter and went to investigate. They found that the store had moved out and said, "Anyway, don't believe that pies will fall from the sky."

"May bring lawyers and police for investigation"

This "legal representative" claims to be the "first person to eat crabs", but online searches have found that similar challenge projects or activities existed several years ago, distributed throughout the country, with different titles, including "self-discipline challenge", "confinement challenge", and "loneliness challenge". However, the challenge rules are similar, and the registration fee usually requires several thousand yuan, and a medical examination certificate is also required. The challenge time also varies from a few days to several months, and the bonus amount ranges from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Individual challenge registrations also require a reason for participation and a note stating "500 words or more will be given priority.".

Screenshot of the competition questionnaire webpage

The reporter consulted multiple similar challenge companies as customers. One of the companies located in Sichuan has similar rules to the 518 Self Discipline Challenge Room. According to company regulations, "there is no limit to the time and frequency of sleeping. The lights can be turned off after sleeping at 22:00 at night, and must be turned on to maintain lighting before 6am. Failure to turn on the lights beyond the time limit is considered a failure of the challenge."

The company staff stated that the challenge location is a chain hotel with windows in the room. "The curtains cannot be opened, but it is also impossible to be completely opaque. It is still possible to distinguish between day and night, and there is also an alarm clock."

When the reporter expressed concern about being deceived, the other party said, "It all depends on the individual. If you violate the rules and fail the challenge, you will consider yourself deceived." As for the registration fee of several thousand yuan and the bonus of several hundred thousand yuan, the other party said, "We definitely need to create difficulties, there are rules and regulations, not just let us sleep every day."

The staff member stated that there are successful challengers, but the specific number and proportion are not clear. Before challengers register, they can bring a lawyer or police officer to investigate, which can be notarized and recorded.

Some organizers claim that the success rate of the challenge is only 0.3%

Another enterprise located in Hebei also launched a similar challenge activity, which is divided into 18 days, 30 days, and 36 days, with bonuses of 10000 yuan, 100000 yuan, and 500000 yuan respectively, and a registration fee of 6888 yuan. However, the activity has not started yet. The staff explained that they are waiting for the relevant procedures to be completed before they can start registering.

The prize money for this activity is high, will there be significant losses? The other party said that this activity itself is not for making money, but for doing self media. "It can be considered a public welfare activity, or understood as an investment. We expect as long as we don't lose too much."

In addition, the other party mentioned that the time and bonus settings are calculated. According to their understanding of relevant data, the probability of successfully challenging for 36 days is only 0.3%, but there will be about 40% for 18 days. "The success probability is publicly available data." The cost is 200 yuan per day for each challenger, as well as operations, employee salaries, on-site medical teams, etc.

The reporter noticed that there is a rule that "indecent behavior is not allowed in the room.". Previously, some netizens have mentioned that picking nostrils may also be considered indecent. The staff of the event also saw this joke, and they have specific norms for indecent behavior. If it does not violate the contract, it will not be judged as a failure. "Mainly because the anchor may switch to room monitoring. If it happens to be live streaming, it is not appropriate. Of course, whether the monitoring can be made public requires your consent."

According to the rules, if the challenge lasts for more than 18 days, the registration fee and travel fee will be refunded, while if the challenge fails, they will not be refunded. The bonus may be adjusted according to subsequent situations. If there are too many successful challenges, the amount will decrease, and if there are too many losers, the amount will increase.

Screenshot of a webpage with promotional images similar to an event

Psychological counselors remind that self-discipline cannot be achieved

The reporter consulted several similar enterprises located in Northeast China, Shanxi, Henan and other places, and most of them claimed that some people were successful, but not many were successful. The activity rules of a company in Henan are: "In the room, do not smoke, do not drink, do not play with mobile phones, do not communicate with the outside world, and do not limit sleeping time."

The staff of the company told reporters that an activity with a ten day challenge and a prize of over 60000 yuan has been going on for more than two months. More than 40 people have signed up, and three have succeeded. The 30 day challenge activity is no longer being carried out, "it has some shadow on the human body and psychological harm."

A staff member from a company in Northeast China that has held similar events said that they no longer carry out such challenge activities. Previously, "two people succeeded" in the challenge.

National second level psychological counselor Gan Wei told Jimu News reporters that currently, such so-called "self-discipline challenges" cannot achieve the positive effects of self-discipline. Long term isolation may even cause negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and mania, leading to the rebound of negative effects such as challenger's sense of identity disorder, distorted personality traits, and reduced social integration, failing to achieve true self-discipline effects.

Gan Wei introduced that self-discipline is usually based on positive therapies such as encouragement and guidance, and the challenger's starting point for such challenges is usually for high bonuses, and then through a relatively tough way, people engage in a long-term closed life. This kind of life is an extreme "destructive" test of human psychology, which is fundamentally contrary to human nature. "The extreme pressure of psychology can also be reflected in physiology, which may affect physical and mental health."

In addition, Gan Wei mentioned that similar closed lifestyles cannot achieve the effect of helping to quit smoking and alcohol addiction as claimed by some organizers. Even if the challenge is successful, it is likely to lead to retaliatory smoking and drinking.

"In the short term, staying away from the hustle and bustle of a clean life is beneficial for relaxing the body and mind, but if you are in a closed and oppressive environment for a long time, it will only have the opposite effect." Gan Wei said that it is not recommended to blindly participate in similar challenges. Challengers need sufficient inner construction. "There may be challengers who think that the prize money is high enough to persist in anything, but the psychological endurance of people is limited. If they exceed this limit, it may cause bad consequences."

The lawyer claims that the contract is ambiguous and suggests not to blindly participate

According to the Southern Daily News, a man in Hechi, Guangxi signed up for a similar challenge in 2022. On the seventh day of the challenge, the delivery staff knocked on the door as usual to remind him. Mr. Wang instinctively responded with an "oh". On the evening of the eighth day, the organizer deemed Mr. Wang's challenge failed and confiscated his deposit on the grounds of contact with the outside world. Afterwards, the organizer suggested that Mr. Wang join the company and allow him to post videos on social media to attract new challengers. If possible, a commission of 1000 yuan per person will be charged.

Lawyer Zhu Xue from Beijing Strategy Law Firm stated that in such challenges, although such an agreement is not a wager agreement, there is a "gambling" element between the two parties, that is, in the performance of the contract, whether the contestant can receive a bonus is uncertain and determined by whether they can successfully challenge.

Lawyer Zhu Xue stated that there are differences in contracts between different companies and cannot be generalized. Challengers must pay attention to the specific terms of the contracts. From the agreement of the Chengdu Self discipline Challenge Room, which currently exposes the detailed rules, it can be seen that freedom is not prohibited by law, and the contract is valid as long as it does not violate mandatory legal provisions or violate public order and good customs.

"Challengers should pay attention to the fact that the contract contains a large number of vague provisions on the obligations of the challenger, while only a small number of specific provisions are made on the obligations of the shop owner. This can lead to the situation where the shop owner can take advantage of the 'loopholes' already dug in the contract to cause the challenger to fail. Lawyer Zhu Xue stated that in cases where there are obvious loopholes in the contract and challenge rules, the rules are formulated by the shop owner, and the activities are promoted by the shop owner. In the absence of third-party supervision, it is not realistic to expect the shop owner to fulfill the contract as a good counterpart." We suggest that everyone not blindly sign up for the competition for the sake of bonuses. "