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A mountain standing for millennia finds new ways to tell its story online_我的网站

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    A sea of clouds rolls across Laojun Mountain in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province, with golden-roofed temples emerging through the mist, on July 6, 2026. Photo: VCGFor 30 days, Li Sichen got up before sunrise on top of Laojun Mountain, camera in hand, chasing clouds across the peaks. Some mornings, the sea of clouds rolled in before breakfast; on others, he had to keep moving, checking one viewpoint after another in search of a patch of mist worth filming. By the time he got back to the foot of the mountain, the 22-year-old had spent a month watching the same landscape change by the hour - all for a job that had first caught the internet's attention for one simple reason: 60,000 yuan ($8,900) a month to "watch clouds."
It all began with Laojun Mountain's spectacular summer cloud season. In a recruitment notice issued in July, operator of the scenic spot said July and August offer some of the best chances to see seas of clouds there, and it wanted someone to stay on the mountain and record how the spectacle changed from day to day. The unusual job posting unexpectedly drew over 3,500 entries in about a week, with Li eventually emerging as the mountain's first "cloud sea observer."
Located in Luanchuan county of Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province, Laojun Mountain rises to 2,217 meters and is known for its dramatic peaks, seas of clouds and long history of Taoist culture, according to the mountain's official website. 
But how does it feel like to work on top of the mountain, far away from online shopping, food delivery and party with friends?  
An unconventional way of seeing 
"My days on the mountain quickly settled into a rhythm shaped partly by the clouds, and partly by the cafeteria," Li told the Global Times. He usually got up around 5 am to shoot the sunrise and clouds, had an early lunch as the cafeteria opens at 11 am, spent the afternoon exploring around the mountain, then rushed to cafeteria for dinner before heading back to the observation spots for sunset. The day often ended with editing footage until close to midnight.
"Sometimes there is nothing in front of you from one viewpoint, but after walking a little farther and changing the angle, a small sea of clouds jumps in front of my eyes."
Professional photographers usually seek higher vantage points for better views of seas of clouds, while Li sometimes headed down toward the mountainside. "That was something I really hadn't expected," Zhang Pengyuan, a manager at Laojun Mountain, told the Global Times. 
"This was exactly why the scenic spot wanted eyes from outside to find the beauty of the mountain through a different angle," Zhang said. 
What set Li apart, Zhang joked, was precisely that he was "not professional." Unable to calculate cloud heights or predict the perfect shooting conditions from weather forecast, Li relied on the simplest method: going out again and again to see what had changed. That sometimes led to compositions the scenic spot's own photographers had never considered. "What he recorded was closer to what an ordinary visitor could actually see," Zhang said.
Li had arrived on the mountain with little professional photography experience. Media reports said that before taking the job, he was not yet proficient with a drone, and his previous videos usually drew only a few hundred or a few thousand views. However, that changed almost overnight when his application video took off, eventually drawing tens of thousands of likes and helping him stand out from more than 3,500 applicants.
    The "cloud observer" Li Sichen adjusts filming equipment at an attraction point on Laojun Mountain. Photo: Courtesy of Li Sichen
From visitors to storytellers 
Beyond Laojun Mountain, scenic spots across China have increasingly been inviting young people to take part in content creation, event planning and tourism promotion, often through unconventional jobs tailored to the language and habits of social media. 
According to Southern Metropolis Daily, Shennong Valley National Forest Park in Central China's Hunan Province recently recruited 10 "wild men" to dress in animal costumes and interact with visitors in the forest. 
The Dixin Valley Scenic Area in Hubei Province also drew more than 3,000 applicants for 12 summer trainee positions to play as NPCs, produce creative content, and work as photographer and tour guide for 10 days.
The idea goes beyond novelty. Scenic spots are increasingly turning to young creators who understand short videos, online trends and the interests of their peers. A tourism short-video contest in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang Province held in 2025 featured university students presenting the city through vlogs, traditional-style costume transformations and AI-generated art - part of a broader effort to let young people help shape how destinations are seen and experienced.
Young travelers are increasingly drawn to experiences that are immersive, participatory and easy to share, reflecting a broader shift in China's tourism market from "standardized sightseeing" toward more personalized experiences, Zhang Lingyun, a professor and the executive editor-in-chief of the Tourism Tribune, told the Global Times.
As tourism offerings have expanded and competition has grown, travelers have more choices. Changing consumer preferences in China mean many young people now look beyond simply "seeing the beauty" to experiences that feel distinctive, personal and worth sharing on social media.
The internet and social media have accelerated this shift, Zhang said, adding that as "digital natives," Chinese young people are becoming increasingly fluent in short videos, social platforms and online interaction. By bringing young people directly into content production, scenic spots can move beyond simply guessing what tourists want through surveys, and learn from what they actually create and share.  
Initiatives such as the "cloud sea observer" can help destinations rediscover themselves through a visitor's eyes while reaching younger audiences more effectively. The goal, Zhang noted, remains the same: better meeting tourists' needs, even as the tools, channels and participants have changed, he said. 
On his final morning on Laojun Mountain, Li got up early once again to watch the sunrise. But this time, he lowered the camera. 
"That was when I suddenly realized how beautiful the mountain really was," Li said. After 30 days of chasing clouds, searching for angles and turning each day into footage to share with other young Chinese in the online community, he was finally able to simply look. 
When Li was really enjoying the last moments on the mountain, he - just like the line from comedy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - "didn't like to have the distraction of the camera. Just wanted to stay in it."
。    Sophie 编译 预计今年将是30多年来怀唐伊条约签署地人数最多的一次。         Waitangi Ltd的首席执行官Ben Dalton今天在Breakfast节目上说：“我的员工说，前来的平均人数在2万到3万人左右。”          Advertise with us          “所以，如果你在此基础上再加上1万，可能4万以上是一个合理的猜测。”          “但这不会一直持续下去，只是在特定的日子里。

二 | ”          他说，反对派的政客将于2月3日抵达，毛利国王将于2月4日抵达，政府代表将于2月5日抵达。

三 |          “这取决于他们要参加的政治活动，但也有各种各样的其他事情。”          “2月6日有音乐会，还有一个住房博览会，Tāme Iti 2月5日上午会来做一些展示艺术，这将非常值得一看，所以会有各种各样的活动。”          他说，他曾作为抗议者和政府官员去过怀唐伊。         现在，他是一个组织者。在过去的33年里，他只错过了一次在条约签署地的活动。         “我看到过各个方面，情况发生了很大的变化。”          “在早期，抗议活动被拒，我们无法过桥，总是有一条蓝线挡着。”          “就在协议签署日，怀唐伊曾发生抗议活动，所以抗议只是怀唐伊的一部分。”          “今年我们不会有蓝线。

四 | ”          他呼吁所有的来访者举止“得体”。         “如果你想抗议并表达你对当今各种问题的关切，那就来吧——只是要记住不要践踏怀唐伊的尊严。”          相关阅读：          国庆日成“敏感词”，新西兰该如何面对历史？          无处不政治！怀唐伊日纪念活动沦为党派斗争舞台          历史与现实的纠缠——怀唐伊日和怀唐伊条约          注：本文为编译/原创，欢迎转发分享；但严禁复制等未经授权的非法使用。违反上述声明者，本网将追究其相关法律责任。

五 | 使用授权请联系[email protected]。         chineseherald.co.nz All Rights Reserved 版权所有          (责编：Sophie)          相关内容                总理Christopher Luxon形象被恶搞 用于色情网站宣传           疫情通报：过去一周新西兰新增7019例，夏季疫情见顶了吗？           警方对前绿党议员提起第三项入店行窃指控，与去年10月的窃案有关           奥克兰北岸一名警官涉嫌在庭审中撒谎，被控伪证罪           太猖獗！四名劫匪持斧头抢劫奥克兰加油站，员工差点爆头而亡           奥克兰的渡轮最近被大量延误和取消，为什么？           四名蒙面罪犯手持锤子袭击奥克兰加油站店员，行业组织恳求政府紧急行动           奥克兰Muriwai发生悲剧，皮卡翻车后压死一名少女，居民呼吁海滩禁车。

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Published on:09:04:44