Chinese man earned almost 9,000 dollars in a month observing clouds
A Chinese tourist complex has completed an unusual month-long competition for the position of a "cloud observer". The winner was paid 60,000 yuan, or about 8,900 dollars, to live on a mountain, observe the sea of clouds, and daily shoot videos, writes the South China Morning Post.
The vacancy was announced on July 8 by the Laojun Mountain tourist area in Henan province. The work was scheduled from July 16 to August 15. In addition to the salary, the employee was provided with free accommodation.
Laojun Mountain is one of China's renowned sacred sites of Taoism, with a history spanning over 2,000 years. According to tradition, it was here in the 6th century BC that Laozi, the founder of the Taoist philosophical school, lived. The mountain is also famous for its landscapes, where thick fog forms a distinctive "sea of clouds".
Laojun Mountain holds China's highest tourist attraction status — 5A. However, foreigners are not allowed there due to its proximity to a military base.
The unusual vacancy quickly went viral on Chinese social media. Over 3,500 people applied for it. Candidates had to publish their videos with special hashtags, and the winner was chosen based on the popularity of their video, the number of likes and reposts, and the quality of the video itself.
Ultimately, the job went to 23-year-old Li Sichen from Henan, who recently completed his studies in a field related to e-commerce. He surpassed several professional photographers and became the first official "cloud observer" on the mountain.
During his work, Li had to wake up around five in the morning. He filmed landscapes from pre-dawn hours to sunset, including light shows, to gather as much material as possible from various angles. During this time, he learned to better shoot and edit videos, perform color correction, and operate a drone.
However, the work turned out to be not as easy as it might seem from the outside. Li confessed that he initially worried whether his videos would gain popularity. It was especially difficult on days with bad weather when the anticipated "sea of clouds" was absent. He called such moments a real test.
All copyrights to the video footage taken by Li within the tourist complex belong to the complex itself. At the same time, the young man concurrently published vlogs about his work and personal experiences on his personal account. His page has already gained more than 6,000 subscribers.
Despite the viral popularity of his contest video, Li does not yet consider himself a blogger-influencer. After completing this unusual job, he plans to find a permanent job and manage his social media in his free time.
A representative of the tourist area, Zhang, announced that similar recruitment drives might be held in the future. The site already employs full-time videographers, but the administration wants to get a fresh external perspective — a kind of "third eye" that can notice things that regular employees stop noticing.
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