Free food, accommodation, and travel expenses, a reward pool of 100,000 yuan (about 60,000 ringgit) for 12 people over 10 days. Recently, a recruitment announcement for the 'Strongest Interns' at Enshi Diewu Qingjiang·Dixin Valley Scenic Area has gone viral online. In response to concerns about whether it’s just a publicity stunt or if there are predetermined candidates, the scenic area issued a heartfelt statement that has moved many netizens.
“We have tasted the hardships of life, so we know how precious opportunities are.” In a WeChat post on the 28th, the scenic area stated that its core team is mostly made up of ordinary people who worked their way up from the mountains. Some walked more than ten li to school in the dark as children, some carried steel bars on construction sites, some mined coal underground, and some stood on assembly lines for over ten hours a day. “Time and sweat are the only way for mountain kids to change their fate.”
The post said they have seen too many talented and creative young people who, due to lack of stage, resources, or help, had to do repetitive and tedious work in the most creative years of their lives. “We can’t change the starting point, but we can light a lamp for those young people running forward.”
The person in charge of the scenic area, Xiang Jin, previously told reporters that the recruitment information is real and valid. The scenic area plans to invest a total reward pool of 100,000 yuan and is recruiting 12 'strongest interns' nationwide to work during the peak summer tourist season for 10 days, providing full coverage of food, accommodation, and round-trip travel expenses. The recruitment positions cover five major categories: creative planning, tour guide explanation, travel photography, scenic area operation management, and NPC actors for performances. The evaluation criteria focus on creativity, ability, and individuality, giving preference to those with artistic skills or new media communication skills.
Addressing the issue of fairness, which is of most concern to netizens, the scenic area stated in its WeChat post: All positions are openly recruited to the public, with no predetermined candidates and a fully transparent selection process. Based on the resumes, the scenic area will initially screen 300 people into the online interview stage, with the whole process livestreamed on the scenic area's Douyin account; then 50 to 100 will be selected for the offline final interview, also livestreamed, and the finalists will be chosen among them.
Xiang Jin said the scenic area is located in a remote area, and offering high pay plus food, accommodation, and travel expenses is precisely to ensure mountain kids have no worries. “We know all too well the feeling of being stopped by a lack of money.”
He also said that today, the main consumers in the cultural tourism market are those born after 2000. “They understand even better what their peers like and where the traffic goes. In addition to time and sweat, your creativity, your individuality, and your self-expression are just as valuable, just as deserving to be seen and rewarded.”
It is understood that this recruitment closes at 23:59 on June 30th. Over 2,000 people have already applied. In addition to the original 12 'Strongest Intern' positions, the scenic area has added 12 regular summer practice positions, with salaries in line with regular intern pay.