Hubei province’s Shennongjia Scenic Area recently released an advertisement for “Recruiting Wild Men in Shennongjia across the Web,” stating a preference for those who “prefer raw food.” Currently, nearly ten thousand people have expressed interest.
The recruitment advertisement posted online shows that the position offers a daily salary of 500 yuan (RMB). The job involves wearing wild man costumes and patrolling the scenic area during weekdays. It strictly prohibits speaking in front of tourists, only allowing “oo-oo-oo” sounds and accepting feedings. It gives priority to those who prefer raw food and mentions plans to recruit 16 people.
According to a report by the “Beijing News” on June 9th, the staff of the scenic area told the media that they are currently gathering interested individuals through short video platform fan groups, with over 20 fan groups established, each with 500 members. Approximately 10,000 people have joined these groups, but the specific number of registrations is not confirmed. The selection process will involve online screening and offline interviews to determine the candidates. They will focus on examining whether applicants have an outgoing personality, creativity, can shoot short videos, and are “humorous.”
The staff explained that the “wild man” works from around 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, without evening shifts, within the six major scenic spots in Shennongjia.
In April 2024, Shennongjia Scenic Area in Hubei issued a recruitment notice for three natural observers, offering a monthly salary of 6000 yuan, with the requirement of being in good physical condition and able to run fast when encountering wild men.
In recent years, various scenic spots in China have created positions for “wild men” or animal performers. Liaoning’s Benxi Guanshanhu Scenic Area previously recruited “wild man actors” for a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan. Hebei’s Handan Taihang Wuzhi Mountain Scenic Area also recruited performers to play “Sun Wukong” for a monthly salary of 6,000 yuan, with the primary task of “eating under the mountain.”