When Leon Lv was looking for somewhere to travel last year, she turned to the Chinese social media app RedNote for ideas. The algorithm took her to videos of people struggling to survive typhoon-strength winds and flash floods. I don’t know how it will feel and what will happen.
I just have seen it on the news,” says the 28-year-old from Chongqing in south-west China. Standing in a simulated flood, her mind momentarily went blank as hundreds of tonnes of water swept people off their feet, and carried them towards a safety barrier. As the surge hit, she forgot she was in a simulation.
I learned how to use the right body position to stay safe,” she says. Lvxing Base, a company in Hangzhou offering simulated disaster experiences has gone viral. The founders spent 10 years making documentaries in some of the world’s most extreme environments.
At a 200,000 square metre facility, which opened in 2024, they simulate extreme weather conditions like typhoons and mudslides, giving participants the experience of what it would be like in a disaster. They want to see what this place is like, what a real typhoon and torrential rain feel like, and whether they themselves can withstand it. Most of our individual customers are between 20 and 30 years old.” It plans to open five more centres across China within the next three years.
It also plans to create earthquake and fire simulations. The offering are not limited to private companies. At Beijing’s Haidian public safety museum, tourists experience simulated earthquakes, tsunamis and fires using a 4D theatre, equipped with moving platforms and sound effects.
Last year the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou opened a five-storey centre to teach visitors how to respond to emergencies and disasters. Its earthquake simulator can recreate ground shaking equivalent to a 7.2 magnitude quake. Extreme weather has become increasingly common in China.
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