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A young woman in China lost 14kg while surviving for 35 days alone on an island during a land competition.
She completed the challenge, won third place, and ate 50 mice to stay alive. (representational image)
A 25-year-old Chinese woman shared how a survival competition unexpectedly changed her life. Known as Zhao Tizhu, she said that she not only completed the grueling 35-day challenge, but also lost 14kg during the competition. The competition was held on an island in Zhejiang province, and tested how long participants could survive alone in the wild.
Zhao Tiezhu stayed on the island from October 1 to November 5. By staying that long, she won third prize and received 7,500 yuan (about Rs 94,000), according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). This included 6,000 yuan (about Rs 75,000) for survival for the first 30 days and an additional 300 yuan (about Rs 3,000) for each day after that.
What I encountered on the island
Conditions were harsh from the beginning. Zhao Tichou said that the temperature rose to 40 degrees, her hands became rough because of the environment, and her legs were covered in insect bites. She also suffered from painful sunburn.
Even with these problems, she was proud that her weight had decreased from 85 kilograms to 71 kilograms.
Zhao Tizhu explained that her weight loss was due to the food she found in the wild. She ate crabs, sea urchins, and abalone (sea snails), which she said were rich in protein. Over the course of 35 days, she also caught, cleaned, roasted and ate 50 mice. She even carried some rat jerky (dried meat) with her to eat later. “Rats are very tasty,” she said, according to SCMP.
Why did you leave the competition?
A typhoon struck the island on November 4, forcing Zhao Tizhu to think about her safety. Then I decided it was time to stop. “I achieved my goals and now I want to sleep well in my bed,” she said, as reported by the portal.
The pageant director, surnamed Jing, reportedly said that two of the male participants were still on the island. They are trying to win the jackpot of 50,000 yuan (about Rs 6 lakh). These survival competitions are becoming more popular in China, and many people follow them closely online.
Survival games are growing all over China
One of the largest competitions is held on Seven Star Mountain in Hunan Province. Whoever lasts the longest will win 200,000 yuan (about 25 thousand rupees).
Zhao Tizhu said the results “exceeded her expectations” and she hopes to join more survival games in the future. She even joked, “I have another 15 kg to lose in the next match.”
The team of writers at News18.com bring you stories about what’s buzzing on the internet while exploring science, cricket, technology, sex, Bollywood and culture.
The team of writers at News18.com bring you stories about what’s buzzing on the internet while exploring science, cricket, technology, sex, Bollywood and culture.
Delhi, India, India
26 November 2025, 5:14 PM IST
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