Two years ago, Li Xiaoshi from Matsu made Mazu the world’s first deity to summit Mount Everest. This year, he pressed on to tackle Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak at 8,163 meters, which no one from Taiwan had ever successfully climbed. What seemed like a wild idea was actually Li Xiaoshi’s lifelong dream — one he pursued even to the point of selling his house and fundraising.
Li Xiaoshi, a native of Matsu born in 1955, attended elementary and middle school there before moving to Taiwan with his father in his first year of high school. He later joined the military, where he served for over a decade in various roles including staff officer and instructor. But beyond his job, Li Xiaoshi found solace in calligraphy and painting, though mountaineering remained another core passion of his life. He developed an interest in climbing during high school, and his time in military school gave him excellent physical stamina and wilderness survival skills. After retiring from the army, he applied those skills to mountaineering, while the beauty of the mountains also became a major source of inspiration for his art. He often carried brushes and ink with him on month-long climbs, staying in touch with almost no one except his wife, Lin Qingqing. His friend from Matsu, Pan Jianguo, said, “He’s climbed every one of Taiwan’s Hundred Mountains at least five times.” Li Xiaoshi had an expert-level knowledge of Taiwan’s peaks, especially impressive given his stamina and ability to carry loads of up to 80 kilograms, allowing him to handle all kinds of mountain terrain. “Every time I climb with him, I’m just struggling to keep up!”
Most climbers set their sights on Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, and Li Xiaoshi was no exception. But the idea of climbing Everest first came to him when he recalled how his father, a fisherman, had once faced mortal danger at sea and prayed to Mazu before miraculously surviving. That memory inspired Li Xiaoshi’s vision of “carrying Mazu to Everest.” However, climbing Everest required not only exceptional strength and courage but also substantial financial resources. Li Xiaoshi resolutely sold his house in Banqiao, and even after paying off the mortgage, he still couldn’t gather the more than 4 million NTD needed for the climb and training. So he returned to his hometown of Matsu to raise funds from fellow villagers. Many were moved by his ambitious goal — the Matsu Port Tianhou Temple donated money and even the Mazu statue, his middle school classmates launched a fundraising campaign, and the county government invited him to be a tourism ambassador. After more than half a year, he finally raised the 4 million NTD. In February of the year before last, he set off for Everest.
Three months later, he successfully summited Everest. “During the climb, there were several moments when I felt my life hanging by a thread — and each time, I sensed Mazu’s protection.” Back in Matsu, he recounted the climb to family and friends, often saying that without Mazu’s blessing, he might not have made it back alive. “I even wrote a will and gave it to Qingqing (his wife) to keep.” But he ultimately achieved the feat. On March 26, Li Xiaoshi once again set out with Mazu on his back, this time to challenge Manaslu. He said that as someone from Matsu, a place rooted in the sea, he had a spirit of adventure in his blood. By carrying Mazu up the world’s highest peaks, he aimed to showcase the spirit of “Mazu in Matsu.” “As long as I can still walk, I will carry Mazu to climb 14 of the world’s highest mountains — as many as I can manage!”