Where challenge is a game

After the first season, Yang wrote on micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo: "As a beginner who hadn't tried the game before, I learned how to trace clues and solve puzzles and enjoyed overcoming each barrier with my teammates. It not only gave me a group of close friends, but also guided me to ponder over such issues as environmental protection, animal conservation and sound education for children."

So far, the second season's first episode has notched up more than 200 million views, according to box-office tracker Maoyan.

One viewer's comment about the show on the review platform Douban may be echoed by many followers. It reads: "I haven't been to an escape room for several months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The show helps me to recall the happiness, excitement and nervousness I experience when playing the game. Sometimes the celebrity guests' reactions and interactions can be hilarious, and watching the show is relaxing."

Scenarios are designed to be thought-provoking. For instance, in the episode named Secret of the Barbecue Restaurant, players entered a place which looks like a stray animal shelter, but as they deciphered codes and collected more clues, they found out that it was actually a barbecue restaurant where the sheltered animals would be slaughtered and used as food. It addressed the issue of animal protection, He says.

Other escape rooms in the show's first season are set as a mysterious cave, an abandoned school, a boxing gym and a spooky mansion. In total, there are 10,563 props in 61 rooms, which cover 7,900 square meters.

Staff from major domestic escape room providers, including You Yu Entertainment and Mr X, work as consultants to improve the immersion experience and adjust the degree of difficulty of the show.

Building up these sets is a challenge for the production team, but as a way to ensure their sustainability, He says that the escape rooms will soon be opened to the public.