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Journalism of Courage
A 23-year-old man won a “lying-flat competition” organised at a mall in China after managing to stay on a mattress for more than 33 hours. Inspired by the viral slang term “lying flat,” the contest aimed to highlight the growing sentiment among young Chinese who cope with stress, workplace pressure, and a tough job market by doing the bare minimum, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The competition took place on November 15 at a shopping mall in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported. To win the contest, participants had to remain lying on a mattress without standing up, leaving, or even going on toilet breaks. However, they were allowed to turn over, read, use their phones, and even order food, as long as they ate while lying on their stomachs.
Since standing up would result in elimination, many contestants chose to wear diapers. Out of about 240 participants, 186 were evicted on the very first day. After 33 hours and 9 minutes, only three participants were still in the contest, the SCMP report stated.
To make the competition challenging, organisers made the last three participants simultaneously raise their arms and legs, and whoever held the pose the longest would win. The 23-year-old then emerged victorious.
The winner credited his success to his girlfriend, sharing that she had found the competition and encouraged him to sign up. Opening up about the preparations ahead of the event, he shared that he had not done any training or prepared specially for the competition and even said that he had felt like quitting several times as the competition was underway, but his girlfriend’s support kept him going “until the end” and helped him secure the win.
The top three winners received cash prizes of 3,000 yuan (approximately Rs 37,642), 2,000 yuan (Rs 25,154), and 1,000 yuan (Rs 12,577).
