A Chinese company is facing intense backlash on social media after an employee exposed a controversial team-building activity imposed by the organization. The worker revealed that employees were coerced into eating fire as a method to boost self-confidence and overcome fears, sparking widespread criticism and outrage.
As reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), social media user Rongrong shared details of this practice on a prominent Chinese platform. She described her fear of placing a burning cotton bud in her mouth but said she complied out of fear of losing her job.
“Performers must control their breathing, keep their mouths moist, and time the closure precisely. Only trained professionals can perform this safely,” Rongrong wrote in her post. She further explained that the activity was meant to demonstrate employees’ determination and commitment to the company’s goals but later admitted she found the experience “degrading.”
This fire-eating exercise is not unique to Rongrong’s workplace. According to SCMP, a team-building company in eastern China, Renzhong, offers fire-eating training services, complete with on-site fire safety equipment.
Social Media Outrage
Rongrong’s revelation ignited a firestorm on the Chinese social media platform Douyin. One user commented, “Protecting workers under labor laws still has a long way to go.” Another called it “a disguised obedience test.”
Others shared similar experiences, including one individual who recalled a trust fall exercise at a previous job where some participants were not caught and hit the ground, leaving them traumatized. “I was so scared that I cried,” they wrote.
According to SCMP, such extreme team-building activities are not isolated incidents. In a previous case, employees were forced to crawl on the streets at night after losing a game. In another example, workers had to hug trash bins or strangers in public, purportedly to build confidence and camaraderie.
These practices have sparked ongoing debates about workplace ethics and the limits of team-building exercises.
