What if your next holiday involved being knocked off your feet by a flash flood, battling typhoon-force winds and getting drenched in torrential rain? For a growing number of travellers in China, this is no holiday nightmare, in fact, this is what they crave for. It is the whole point of the trip. China’s latest travel trend is seeing young tourists pay to experience simulated natural disasters, turning terrifying weather conditions into an unusual adventure. All the buzz and trend is coming straight from Lvxing Base, an immersive disaster simulation facility in Hangzhou, eastern China, where visitors can experience what it feels like to be caught in extreme weather, without facing the unpredictability of an actual natural disaster. Opened in 2024, Lvxing Base recreates dangerous situations such as typhoons, torrential rain and sudden flash floods. The facility can simulate winds reaching speeds of up to 165 kmph, while its flood scenarios unleash hundreds of tonnes of water to recreate the force of a rapidly rising torrent. And no, visitors are not simply standing behind a glass screen watching a disaster unfold. They get to experience the force of the elements themselves, under controlled conditions and with safety measures in place. According to the reports, one visitor, Leon Lv, travelled more than 1,300 km from Chongqing to Hangzhou after watching videos of the experience on the Chinese social media platform RedNote. During a simulated flood, she joined other participants as a powerful surge of water swept them towards a safety barrier. The experience was intense enough for her to momentarily forget that it was only a simulation. But she also walked away with practical lessons on staying calm and positioning her body to protect herself during a flood. That is the curious appeal of this unusual travel experience - the thrill of facing a frightening situation, with the added possibility of learning something that could prove useful in real life. Fear, apparently, comes with a price tag. At Lvxing Base, an adult ticket costs 899 yuan, approximately ?12,770, according to reports. That is a sizeable amount to spend voluntarily getting battered by simulated weather, especially when most travellers would happily cancel their plans to avoid a real typhoon. The facility is also attracting attention online, with phrases such as 'paying to suffer' and 'paying to buy fear' gaining traction on Chinese social media. For visitors who are tired of conventional sightseeing, the attraction offers something rather different from another photograph in front of a famous landmark. The experience is not limited to private thrill-seekers, either. Disaster simulation facilities in China are also being used to teach emergency preparedness, with public safety centres offering simulated earthquakes, fires and other dangerous scenarios. Traditionally, dark tourism refers to visiting places associated with death, tragedy, war and human suffering. This includes memorials, former disaster zones and sites where historic tragedies unfolded. China’s simulated-disaster trend takes a different approach. Rather than travelling to places where tragedy has already occurred, visitors are paying to experience a controlled version of the danger itself. The label is therefore being used more loosely here, blending dark tourism with adventure tourism and immersive survival training. The idea is also gaining traction against the backdrop of extreme weather events in China. In 2025, the country recorded its highest number of hot days since records began. As natural disasters become a more visible concern, learning how to react when things go wrong has taken on greater urgency. However, there is a fine line between educating people about disasters and turning the suffering associated with them into entertainment. The value of these centres ultimately depends on whether they deliver meaningful safety lessons alongside the adrenaline rush. For now, China’s simulated typhoon experience offers an unusual twist on the travel bucket list. Some people chase sunsets, some book luxury cruises, and others apparently want to find out whether they can stay on their feet when hundreds of tonnes of water come rushing towards them. One thing is certain: the next time someone says they want a holiday that takes them out of their comfort zone, it might be worth asking just how far they are willing to go. Travel News - Find latest news and tips based on Indian and World travel including top 10 travel destination, tourism information, how to reach visit and more at Times Now. Simran covers books that start conversations, beauty insights, fashion moods, and stories that make people feel something. Off duty? You’ll find her c... View More