College girl scales 5 summits in 5 days

Zhao Chengnan poses for a selfie on top of Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province. File photo

On the brink of her 22nd birthday, Zhao Chengnan, a sports major college student from Hunan Province, celebrated the occasion by challenging herself to summit China’s “Five Great Mountains” in just five days.

The “Five Great Mountains,” or Wuyue in pinyin, refer to Taishan Mountain in Shandong, Huashan Mountain in Shaanxi, Hengshan Mountain in Shanxi, Hengshan (a homophone) Mountain in Hunan, and Songshan Mountain in Henan. Reflecting on her expedition, Zhao recounted the thrill of traveling under the stars, the tension of catching the next train, the awe-inspiring sight of sunrise, the lush greenery, and the lively winds atop the majestic peaks.

Zhao impulsively decided on this adventure as her birthday approached, coinciding with the May Day holiday. A sports enthusiast since her middle school days, Zhao found activities like cycling and mountain climbing to be second nature to her.

With support from her family, Zhao began with Huashan Mountain. To get there, she departed from Changsha and endured a grueling 20-hour train ride in a sleeper compartment. On April 25, she reached the East Peak of Huashan Mountain after a four-hour climb, equipped with essentials such as a sun hat, windbreakers, backpack, and hiking pole. Zhao also wore a pair of gloves which helped her navigate Huashan Mountain’s sky ladder.

Zhao then boarded a high-speed train to Henan Province, preparing for a night climb of Songshan Mountain. She commenced her hike at 1:12 a.m. and reached the summit after 2 hours and 20 minutes.

After conquering Taishan and Hengshan Mountain in Shanxi, the most challenging part was the final stop at Hengshan Mountain in Hunan because she was totally exhausted. She spent nearly 4.5 hours summiting it and hastily returned to her school in Yueyang in the same province.

Of the five mountains, Huashan and Taishan mountains posed the greatest challenges, but it was Hengshan (in Hunan) that took the longest to conquer. “It wasn’t because it was difficult to climb, but because by the time I reached the last mountain, my body was fatigued, compounded by the effects of the rainy weather.”

Compared with physical exhaustion, Zhao said managing transportation posed a bigger challenge. Each day required advance booking of bus and train tickets for the following day to ensure efficient travel, yet allowing enough rest time upon arrival at the next destination. To save time and energy, she used cable cars or buses for descents.

“This personal milestone is a gift for my 22nd birthday, and it’s also a gift for my mom, who brought me into this world and has been there for me all these years,” Zhao was quoted by Jimu News as saying.

Zhao has already made plans for her next adventure: to conquer Huangshan Mountain in Anhui, Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi, and Yandang Mountain in Zhejiang. The cycling enthusiast also wishes to complete a bike trip circumnavigating Hainan Island.