Cold Beauty's story

Many of the contestants were surprised when they saw Yang on the first day with her carefully curated appearance.

However, as contestants dropped out after days or even weeks of extreme deprivation, the young woman from Yunnan province showed surprising resilience.

In one video clip posted by the organizers, Yang is seen huddled in a thatched shelter, her face and clothes covered in dirt, but her voice steady and determined.

"The more desperate it gets, the cooler I stay," she tells the camera. The quote quickly went viral, becoming her signature catchphrase.

More than a month into the challenge, Yang was the only remaining female contestant. Although she had lost more than five kilograms, she successfully overcame multiple difficulties, including the lack of food, injury and menstruation.

On Friday, after being diagnosed with malnutrition following a medical examination, Yang was forced to drop out of the challenge. She was one of the last 15 contestants, and was only a few steps away from the final.

"She didn't want to quit," Long Wu, general director of the event, told Jimu News after Yang's medical examination. "But safety is paramount."

Yang showed remarkable resilience and had an outstanding performance during the challenge, representing "a positive image of Chinese women", Long said.