The 18-year-old went camping in a forest in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China, in early July. By midday, the cicadas in the dense trees had reached full volume. He stayed for four hours without ear protection.
By evening, his ears felt full and swollen, and he could no longer make out high-pitched sounds. Birdsong was gone. So were the alert tones on his phone. The student, identified by the surname Yang, was diagnosed with temporary hearing impairment from noise exposure. His hearing returned to normal after medical treatment and 14 days away from noise, according to reporting by the South China Morning Post, citing local outlet Shandian News. The story drew 4.5 million views on Chinese social media.
