Mountain climber Li Xiaoshi once pledged to carry a statue of the Goddess Mazu to climb the world’s four great peaks. After successfully scaling Lhotse this time, he fell into a coma, leaving family and friends deeply worried.

Li Xiaoshi was born on Matsu and is a devout follower of Mazu. He was born on October 10, 1955—the National Day of the Republic of China. Although he was born on an island, he had a deep love for mountains and forests.

Li Xiaoshi’s devotion to Mazu was influenced by his father, Li Erxi. In the autumn of 1980, Li’s father went fishing from Matsu when their boat encountered an 8-magnitude storm near the Zhoushan Archipelago, causing the vessel to capsize. Li’s father and six crew members drifted at sea for four days.

On the third day of drifting, Li’s father dreamed during the day that Mazu appeared to him and told him to hold on, promising that he would be rescued the next day. Though half-doubting, he was indeed rescued on the fourth day after the shipwreck by a fishing boat from mainland China.

After surviving the ordeal, Li’s father shared the story with his family, and from then on, they all devoutly worshipped Mazu. Li Xiaoshi also vowed to carry a statue of Mazu to climb the world’s four great peaks.

The rugged-looking Li Xiaoshi developed a love for mountains and forests because, after coming to Taiwan in 1972, he bought a camera. The following year, during his first climb, he was captivated by the beauty of the mountains and began capturing these scenes through his lens, sparking his passion for mountain climbing.

During his school years, Li Xiaoshi also enjoyed doodling in his textbooks, which gave him a foundation in drawing. He also loved practicing calligraphy and once won third place in the National Youth Painting and Calligraphy Competition, as well as first place in the Lienchiang County Wartime Government Office Youth Calligraphy Competition in categories including regular script, watercolor painting, and traditional Chinese painting.

In November 1980, after completing the feat of climbing all 100 peaks of Taiwan, Li Xiaoshi also finished photography projects at Big and Small Ghost Lakes and trekked through the Neibenlu Ancient Trail. With Taiwan’s high mountains conquered, he set his sights on the roof of the world.

In 2009, Li Xiaoshi, carrying his beloved camera and a statue of Mazu, successfully scaled Mount Everest at 8,848 meters above sea level. The achievement made him widely known and earned him the nickname “Mountain Climbing Legend.”

Now 58 years old, after extensive preparation, Li Xiaoshi once again carried the Mazu statue and set out on April 8 of this year to climb Lhotse at 8,516 meters. Although he successfully reached the summit, he fell into a coma on the descent, a heartbreaking turn of events.

Li Xiaoshi’s family and friends said that although he is nearly sixty, he remains in very good health. They hope that his coma was merely due to exhaustion and cold from reaching the summit, and they also hope that Mazu will protect him and that online supporters will rally behind him so he can return home safely. 1020519

(Central News Agency)