In June 1994, residents and forestry workers near Phoenix Mountain reported seeing a bright object descend onto the mountainside. Among those who later investigated the reports was forestry worker Meng Zhaoguo, who believed the object might be an aircraft or other unusual phenomenon. According to his account, he and a relative attempted to approach the object but were forced to retreat after experiencing an intense beam of light. Meng later claimed that the encounter left him temporarily incapacitated.

As the story developed, Meng reported increasingly extraordinary experiences. He stated that he was repeatedly visited by non-human entities and was eventually taken aboard a craft. These later claims included physical examinations, missing-time experiences, and encounters with an alleged female extraterrestrial being. In subsequent interviews he described prolonged contact experiences extending beyond the initial mountain sighting.

The story attracted considerable attention within Chinese UFO communities during the 1990s. Researchers visited the area, interviewed witnesses associated with the initial sighting, and examined aspects of Meng's testimony. The case became widely known throughout China through newspapers, television programs, and UFO publications, eventually becoming one of the country's best-known alleged alien-abduction accounts.

Interest in the case increased further after various Chinese UFO organizations adopted it as a major investigation. However, opinions were divided. Some researchers considered the initial mountain sighting potentially credible while expressing doubt about later abduction narratives. An investigation conducted by the UFO Enthusiasts Club at Wuhan University reportedly concluded that the earliest events may have involved a genuine unexplained observation, but that the more elaborate later claims were unlikely to be factual.

Over time the incident entered popular culture and became one of the most recognizable UFO stories in China. Despite continuing publicity, no authenticated photographs, radar records, physical traces, or official findings capable of independently verifying the alleged abduction claims have entered the public record. The central historical fact is that Meng Zhaoguo made the reports and that they became the subject of substantial discussion and investigation within Chinese UFO circles. The events themselves remain disputed.