Journey to the top: Stories of SZ conquerors of Mt. Qomolangma

Shenzheners have been known for their adventurous spirits, and among many life and career adventures they take, surmounting Mount Qomolangma is a supreme one. This year, six Shenzhen residents have successfully made it to the world’s highest peak, bringing the total number of Shenzhen amateur climbers who have achieved such a feat to 51, the most among cities worldwide, according to the Mountaineering and Outdoor Sports Association (SMOA).

Shenzheners’ expedition to the world’s highest summit started 20 years ago, when entrepreneur Wang Shi and university teacher Liang Qun were among the first batch of Chinese amateur climbers to reach the summit in 2003. Since then, Shenzheners have made a total of 55 ascents to the 8,848-meter summit.

Globally, only 6,338 people have made such a stunt by January this year in the past 70 years, after the historic first human ascents by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953, according to haexpeditions.com.

“In Shenzhen, there is such a group of ordinary people: they can set such a goal and try to achieve this dream through their own efforts,” Cao Jun, vice president of SMOA, said at an event Aug. 20 at Shenzhen Library, where successful Shenzhen mountaineers shared their stories with the public.

(From top left, clockwise) Li Haitao, Wen Binghui, Li Weishe, Chen Guoqing, Wang Wei, and Chen Jianjun pose for a photo on the summit of Mount Qomolangma. They are the six Shenzhen residents who have successfully made it to the world’s highest peak this year. Photos courtesy of Shenzhen Mountaineering and Outdoor Sports Association (SMOA)

This year’s climbers, like their predecessors, are from different walks of life. Back from the arduous journey, three of them showed up at the event, unfolding themselves in front of an audience of over 200 and vividly depicting the incredible devotion and courage they summoned in order to accomplish their goal, against the incredible height, the vicious weather at high altitude and the very low atmospheric pressure.

Wen Binghui, Li Weishe and Wang Wei, who reached the peak of Mount Qomolangma this year, pose for a photo with audience at a sharing event at Shenzhen Library on Aug. 20.

“We hope to do something beyond [conquering Mount Qomolangma]. We hope more people will hear the stories of these climbers,” Cao told the audience. “These stories may inspire people to face up to their life problems and challenges, break boundaries and step out of their comfort zones, so that they can make greater contributions to society, and of course, never forget their responsibilities to their families.”

A father’s legacy

Wang Wei, a self-employed businessman, considers himself a smooth achiever in life. Born in a small village in Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, Wang found a good job after graduating from college, later started his own business and has a happy family. “There seemed to be a predetermined ladder for me to climb. All these years, I took one step after another, up the ladder,” Wang said.

Wang Wei shares a photo of him (R) managing to adjust to altitude sickness when arriving at the base camp of Mt. Qomolangma during an event Aug. 20 at Shenzhen Library where successful Shenzhen mountaineers recounted their stories to the public.

It was when he turned 36 and a father of two daughters he found himself constantly asking himself two questions: “What is the best gift a father can give to his beloved daughters? What is the meaning of life?” He later decided to conquer the highest peak in the physical world, and hoped to pass on the spirit of facing up to difficulties without fear to his daughters. He made a four-year plan and developed detailed training schedules.

“I recorded a few words of mine for my daughters on my way to the peak [of Mount Qomolangma]. I said: ‘Scaling Mt. Qomolangma is really a very difficult thing to do, but dad made it. While you are growing up, you may encounter some difficulties or dangers. I hope at that time you will think of me, think of me walking steadfastly in the extreme circumstances and moving determinedly step by step towards my goal. I would also like to say that you should always cherish a dream and firmly believe in yourself, and you will find the power it brings to you is incredible.”

For the rare inner serenity

Li Weishe is a successful entrepreneur. An overseas study tour back in 2017 brought him to Chamonix, France, where for the first time he learned about the origin of mountaineering and ascended the peak of Mount Blanc in the Alps.

Li Weishe at the Aug. 20 event sharing his stories of scaling Mount Qomolangma at Shenzhen Library.

“When I walked in that serene world of snow, what I could hear was merely the sounds I made while trekking in the snow,” Li said. “A feeling of the divine struck me and I had a rare sense of inner serenity.”

For revisiting that feeling, he continued to ascend several more snow-capped mountains and later decided to scale Mt. Qomolangma.

“As a hard worker, after experiencing the chaos of the world and the ups and downs in life, I cherish being able to return to nature and pursue peace of mind. To me, it’s an ideal state of life.”

A test of life attitude

Many years ago, Wen Binghui, a self-made businessman, set his goal of scaling Mt. Qomolangma before turning 50, but he didn’t have the chance to put it into practice until last year.

Wen Binghui recounts his mountaineering experiences to the public at the Aug. 20 event.

It took him 17 months to prepare and 71 days to train before he successfully reached the summit, and he is turning 50 this year. He said extreme circumstances like that put to test a person’s attitude to life.

“We are all among the 8 billion travelers on this planet, and our goals set us apart,” Wen told the audience, saying he thinks everyone can be regarded as a “climber” in life. “Climbers have a clear goal and believe in themselves. …We set a goal, we make a plan, we work toward that goal, and we see results.”

Followers on their way

Cao of SMOA, who has been a mountaineer since entering Peking University in the 1980s and successfully scaled Mt. Qomolangma 10 years ago, said an increasing number of Shenzheners are showing an interest in conquering the summit.

Jiang Biao, 25, sought advice from the event’s speakers as he is getting himself prepared for his future quest for the summit. After scaling a few snow mountains in China and Japan and gaining experience in adventurous trekking, he said he will wait until he has the money to fully enact the plan.

Xia Xia, 46, a marathon runner, a mother of two and previously a Huawei employee, said she and her children have benefited a lot from outdoor sports, hoping to scale Mt. Qomolangma in the near future.