Spend a month photographing clouds on a mountaintop, earn $8,900: China job listing draws 3,500 applicants

A quirky short-term job in China — spending a month atop a mountain photographing clouds for 60,000 yuan ($8,900) — has gone viral online.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the Laojunshan scenic area in China's Henan Province posted a listing on July 8 — announcing that it was seeking an intern to handle "sea-of-clouds observation" duties starting July 16 for one month.

The main task for the "cloud observer" is to live on the mountaintop, photograph clouds every day and share sea-of-clouds footage with the scenic area.

Laojunshan is one of China's most celebrated Taoist sites, with a history spanning more than 2,000 years. The mountain is renowned for its dramatic sea-of-clouds scenery, created by thick mist rising from its slopes.

The listing went viral after word spread online that the position came with free accommodation and a salary of 60,000 yuan. More than 3,500 people applied within a week of the posting going public.

The candidate who beat those odds was Li Sichen, 23, a Henan native who had just graduated from university. Li was selected as the final pick over professional photographers.

Li spent a month living on the summit, starting his shoots every morning at 5 a.m. To capture as much footage as possible from different angles, he photographed not only the clouds but also shifting light conditions throughout the day.

He said he picked up a range of skills during the assignment, including video shooting and editing, color grading and drone operation. He also shared that on days when bad weather prevented him from getting the shots he wanted, the experience could be emotionally draining.

The copyright to all footage shot during his tenure belongs to the scenic area. Li did, however, share vlogs on his personal social media documenting his daily life and the filming process on the summit. His follower count has since surpassed 6,000.

A Laojunshan scenic area official said the site may recruit additional cloud observers in the future. The area already employs full-time videographers, the official explained, but wanted a "third eye" — someone who could capture the scenery from a fresh perspective that its regular staff could not provide.