Olympic Champion Cai Liangchan x Nancent Ice Bath | The “Ice Bath Challenge” Officially Launched: Dare to Take an Ice Bath for the Planet and Yourself?

Olympic Champion Cai Liangchan x Nancent Ice Bath | The “Ice Bath Challenge” Officially Launched: Dare to Take an Ice Bath for the Planet and Yourself?

In the summer of 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge took the world by storm. From tech magnates Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg to Chinese celebrities including Lei Jun, Andy Lau and Zhang Ziyi, people across Silicon Valley and Beijing doused themselves with buckets of ice water to raise public awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In merely two months, over 17 million global participants joined the movement, raising more than 100 million US dollars in charitable donations. To this day, it remains one of the most influential and successful public welfare campaigns in the history of social media communication.

The Global Phenomenon of the Ice Bucket Challenge

Summer 2026 introduces an evolved, upgraded successor to this iconic campaign — the Ice Bath Challenge.

This new iteration delivers a comprehensive upgrade: replacing momentary ice water dousing with full-body cold-water immersion and extending instantaneous splashing into sustained cold therapy. The campaign is jointly launched by Nancent, a Zhongshan-based innovative energy-saving technology enterprise in Guangdong Province, and co-initiated by Cai Liangchan, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Wushu Sanda Champion.

(Photo: Cai Liangchan (left) and Nancent Founder Pan Hongyang (right))

Born in Jinjiang, Fujian in 1988 and later based in Macao, Cai Liangchan is a benchmark figure in Macao’s combat sports community. He is a rare grand slam champion in Wushu Sanda, having claimed top titles at the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup and World Combat Games. His prestigious honors include the 2008 Beijing Olympic Wushu Sanda 70kg Championship, the 4th Sanda World Cup 70kg Championship, and the 2010 Beijing World Combat Games Sanda 70kg Championship, cementing his reputation as an elite athlete with extraordinary competitive credentials and indomitable sportsmanship.

A formidable Olympic champion forged by rigorous arena training, paired with a forward-thinking energy-saving tech enterprise guided by the mission of Heal the Planet, this powerful alliance aims to build the Ice Bath Challenge into a heartfelt, value-driven public welfare movement with genuine social significance.

About Nancent: A Heat Pump Tech Enterprise Committed to Protecting the Planet

To fully grasp the inspiration and value behind the Ice Bath Challenge, it is essential to understand Nancent’s core philosophy, technological strengths and brand positioning.

Officially registered as Nancent Eco-energy Solution Co., Ltd. and situated in Huangpu Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, Nancent is a tech-driven enterprise focused on energy conservation and environmental protection innovation. Its core competitive advantage lies in high-efficiency heat pump temperature control technology. In simple terms, the technology captures free ambient thermal and cold energy for heating and cooling applications, with heating energy consumption reduced to only one-quarter of traditional electric heating systems. It is globally recognized as a pivotal technology for energy conservation and carbon emission reduction.

(Photo: Headquarters of Nancent Eco-energy Solution Co., Ltd.)

Nancent applies its cutting-edge heat pump temperature control technology to a diverse array of scenarios, covering ice bath cold therapy, swimming pool constant temperature maintenance, residential heating, cooling and dehumidification, domestic hot water supply, industrial chilled water systems and agricultural drying. Its tailored heat pump solutions serve household, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors, covering nearly all daily and industrial heating and cooling demands.

(Photo: Tian Shicheng, Chief Technology Officer of Nancent)

Nancent’s brand mission is succinctly defined as Heal the Planet. The enterprise aspires to become a global pioneer in innovative heat pump technology applications. This vision is far from a hollow slogan: its full product ecosystem embodies a sustainable green philosophy — maximizing energy efficiency to deliver superior living comfort through low-carbon, eco-friendly solutions.

The launch of the Ice Bath Challenge represents Nancent’s strategic extension of its corporate mission, translating technological innovation and industrial responsibility into accessible public welfare and social advocacy.

Why the Ice Bath Challenge? More Than an Upgraded Ice Bucket Challenge

Many may question the value of upgrading from a single ice water dousing to full-body ice immersion. The core significance lies in two interconnected dimensions: personal physical and mental wellness, and global ecological public interest.

(Photo: Cai Liangchan experiencing Nancent’s professional ice bath equipment)

Personal Dimension: Reawaken Your Body Through Cold Stimulation

Cold water immersion has emerged as a mainstream wellness trend worldwide, widely adopted by Silicon Valley elites and professional athletes as a core daily health management practice. Scientific studies have proven that regular cold water immersion effectively improves blood circulation, accelerates post-workout physical recovery, strengthens immune function, boosts dopamine secretion, delivers long-lasting positive mental states, and enhances overall psychological resilience.

The Ice Bath Challenge aims to help more people unlock the transformative benefits of cold therapy. By embracing short-term cold stimulation, participants learn to overcome physical discomfort through controlled breathing and deliberate willpower, cultivating greater composure and resilience to tackle challenges in work and daily life. This practice is not self-deprivation, but a holistic workout for both physical vitality and mental fortitude.

Global Dimension: The Planet Is Overheating and Needs Collective Cooling Action

Global warming is no longer a distant theoretical concept. Escalating extreme heatwaves, rapid glacial melting and frequent climate anomalies are deteriorating the global ecological environment at an alarming rate. Nancent positions the Ice Bath Challenge as a targeted public welfare initiative addressing global warming: while experiencing the intense cold of ice water, participants are prompted to reflect on humanity’s overheated lifestyle — excessive energy consumption, rampant carbon emissions, and an unsustainable fast-paced living model. Cooling down applies not only to our bodies, but also to our overheating planet.

(Data: Arctic sea ice has shrunk by more than 20% since 1979)

Upholding the core mission of Heal the Planet, Nancent advocates simultaneous attention to individual physical health and planetary ecological balance through the Ice Bath Challenge. The campaign fully embodies corporate social responsibility, promotes a sustainable and healthy lifestyle culture, and integrates personal self-improvement with global environmental protection undertakings.

How to Join the Ice Bath Challenge: Rules, Participation Methods and Communication Mechanisms

Core Challenge Rules

The challenge features simple, inclusive and standardized participation rules for all participants:

1. Complete the Challenge: Finish a standard cold water immersion session using professional ice bath equipment provided for free by Nancent.

2. Record the Experience: Film a complete video of your challenge to document your authentic reactions and feelings.

3. Post on Social Media: Share the video on mainstream social platforms including WeChat Channels, Moments, Douyin and Xiaohongshu.

4. Invite New Participants: Tag three friends in your post to invite them to take over the challenge.

5. 24-Hour Response Rule: Invited participants must either complete the official ice bath challenge within 24 hours or donate 100 RMB to certified environmental public welfare projects (participants may choose to complete both actions).

Participation Channels

On-Site Participation (Recommended)

• Time: Every Saturday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

• Venue: Nancent Eco-energy Solution Co., Ltd., Huangpu Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province

• Equipment: Free access to professional, safe, hygienic and temperature-controlled ice bath devices provided by Nancent

• Individual Registration: Book at least one day in advance

• Group Registration: Book at least one week in advance (open to corporate teams, sports communities, running clubs and fitness groups)

Remote Participation (Nationwide & Global Access)

Invitees may complete the challenge locally with self-prepared standard ice bath equipment, then upload their challenge videos to social platforms for relay and public sharing. All remote participants will be included in the official challenge statistics and awarded an official Nancent Ice Bath Challenge Ambassador electronic certificate.

Communication Logic: Inheriting and Optimizing the Viral Code of the Ice Bucket Challenge

The 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge achieved unprecedented global viral dissemination at minimal cost, adhering to the classic STEPPS viral marketing framework summarized by industry scholars. The Ice Bath Challenge fully inherits this proven communication logic and optimizes it for stronger social influence:

• Social Currency: Participating in the Ice Bath Challenge showcases personal perseverance and conveys a positive social attitude of prioritizing personal wellness and planetary environmental protection, providing high-value, responsible and stylish content for social media sharing.

• Triggers: The friend-tagging relay mechanism enables continuous cross-circle exposure, creating sustained topic reminders and iterative viral dissemination across social networks.

• Emotion: The ice bath experience delivers high-arousal, authentic and engaging content. The physical cold stimulation, genuine participant reactions and on-site supportive atmosphere create vivid, emotionally resonant moments ideal for social sharing.

• Public Visibility: Growing participation from ordinary users and public figures triggers the bandwagon effect, driving wider public engagement and continuous topic proliferation.

• Practical Value: Cold water immersion is a scientifically validated wellness modality. Participants share authentic experience and tangible health benefits, endowing the campaign content with practical reference and dissemination value.

• Storytelling Potential: Every participant carries a unique story behind their challenge — their personal motivations, immersive feelings and public appeals, forming rich, touching narrative materials for short-video communication.

(Photo: Pan Hongyang completing the ice bath challenge)

Building on this mature viral framework, Nancent has further optimized the campaign mechanism to expand its reach and influence:

6. Lowered Participation Barriers & Globalized Scenarios: Free on-site professional equipment eliminates hardware access thresholds, while the remote participation policy breaks geographical limitations, enabling global user engagement.

7. Top Celebrity Endorsement: Olympic champion Cai Liangchan leads the inaugural challenge, leveraging his positive public image, credibility and sportsmanship to define the campaign’s high-value, positive tone and attract initial widespread attention.

8. Group Participation Mechanism: Open registration for corporate teams and social communities activates group aggregation effects. Collective ice bath participation produces highly impactful visual content that boosts viral communication.

9. Sustained Weekly Operation: Fixed weekly Saturday sessions transform the campaign from a one-time event into a continuous content output source, maintaining steady topic heat with fresh participant stories and relay content every week.

2026 Summer Grand Preview: Guinness World Record Challenge

While the weekly regular Ice Bath Challenges sustain continuous public attention, Nancent is set to launch a landmark flagship event in summer 2026 to amplify the campaign’s social impact on a global scale.

(Photo: Group ice bath challenge on-site)

Nancent plans to host a world-record-scale group ice bath challenge relay in summer 2026, aiming to break the official Guinness World Record for the Largest Ice Bath Challenge Relay by Participant Count.

The existing Guinness World Record was set at Fremantle Beach, Australia in 2024, where 509 participants completed a simultaneous three-minute ice bath session. Nancent’s 2026 initiative targets over 800 participants, achieving a record-breaking scale and adopting an innovative relay-style format to enhance the event’s viewing appeal and communication value.

The Guinness record challenge will be held at the main venue in Zhongshan City, with Olympic champion Cai Liangchan as the core guest, joined by distinguished representatives from sports, entertainment and business industries. Serving as a landmark annual event, it integrates public welfare advocacy, healthy lifestyle promotion and corporate social responsibility demonstration. Detailed event arrangements and official registration guidelines will be fully released in early 2026.

Registration Guidelines

All eligible participants can sign up for the challenge via the official channels listed below:

• Registration Portal: Official WeChat Official Account and WeChat Channel of "Nancent Ice Bath" (entry available in the menu bar)

• On-Site Registration: Individual participants book at least 1 day in advance; groups of 5 or more book at least 1 week in advance

• Remote Participation: Post your verified challenge video on social media, tag the official account @Nancent Ice Bath, and invite three friends to join the relay

• Fees: Fully free for all participants; professional ice bath equipment is exclusively provided by Nancent Ice Bath

Even if you are unable to participate on-site or temporarily unready for the ice bath challenge, you can still support this public welfare initiative by viewing, liking and sharing campaign content. Every dissemination helps popularize healthy lifestyles and raise global climate protection awareness.

From Ice Bucket to Ice Bath: A New Era of Public Welfare

Twelve years have passed since the 2014 viral Ice Bucket Challenge, which reshaped global public welfare communication by proving that charitable campaigns can be engaging, shareable and universally unifying.

The Nancent Ice Bath Challenge is not a simple replication, but a value-upgraded iteration endowed with contemporary social connotations. It calls on the public to care for both individual physical wellness and planetary ecological health, while forging personal perseverance and pooling collective social strength.

It transforms Nancent’s corporate mission of Heal the Planet from a brand vision into a tangible, accessible public action for everyone.

Dare to take on the ice bath challenge — for yourself, and for our planet?

Jointly initiated by Nancent Ice Bath and Olympic Champion Cai Liangchan. For full event details and registration, follow the official WeChat account of "Nancent Ice Bath", or visit the on-site venue at Nancent Eco-energy Solution Co., Ltd. every Saturday for consultation and on-site experience.