Chinese Company Criticized for Forcing Employees to Eat Fire in Team-Building Exercise

The controversial activity, intended to boost confidence, has been condemned as unsafe, coercive, and degrading by employees and social media users.

A Chinese education company in Liaoning province required employees to participate in a fire-eating exercise during a two-day team-building event.
Employees were asked to place burning cotton buds in their mouths, with one whistleblower revealing she felt coerced to participate out of fear of losing her job.
The activity was described as a method to help employees overcome fear and demonstrate their determination to company leadership, but many found it degrading and unsafe.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage on Chinese social media, with critics labeling the exercise as a violation of labor rights and a disguised obedience test.
Reports indicate that similar extreme team-building practices, including fire-eating, are offered by other companies in China, raising concerns about workplace safety and employee protections under labor laws.