Competitors take part in a trance contest in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on Dec 20. [Photo/CFP]

Trance contest in S China

A 30-year-old man working for a foreign company won the first trance contest held in a square in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on Saturday. He scooped the final award by not blinking for five minutes at the competition that saw more than 200 contestants. The winning prize was an iPad mini, cfp.cn reported.

The contest, an idea that originated in South Korea, requires participants to sit still without moving, laughing or sleeping. Organizers said it is a way to reduce stress.