
BEIJING -- The clock is ticking. The room is dark. There might even be a murder victim on the floor. And the clues must be pieced together before you can leave. It may not be a matter of life or death like the pandemic lockdowns, but adventurous young Chinese are trading one confined space for another to test their puzzle-solving prowess in escape rooms.
China had about 1,100 escape rooms in 2019 -- two and a half times the year-earlier tally. Many are in major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.