On April 7, 2012, more than 200 environmental volunteers took part in a cleanup of outdoor litter in the Fragrant Hills, organized by the “Nature Friends Mountaineering Team.” The “Qingxiang” activity is one of the team’s routine environmental efforts. Seven years on, the group has expanded from just dozens of participants at its inception to hundreds today. At 10:30 a.m., the event officially kicked off, with volunteers and team members divided into five routes to ascend the mountain, conducting a thorough cleanup along approximately 10 kilometers of firebreaks and hiking trails.
Since the official mountain paths within the Fragrant Hills Park are maintained by sanitation workers who collect litter, this activity was held on an “unofficial trail” known among hikers as “Little Shambhala.” Although this path falls into a “no-man’s land” of management, it is still frequented by many hiking enthusiasts, resulting in considerable litter along the way.
Members of the Nature Friends Mountaineering Team are focused on removing white plastic waste from trees
The hiking trail is challenging, with many sections featuring narrow and steep steps. Yu Haiyu, a member of the Nature Friends Mountaineering Team, walked while holding a plastic bag and clamp, picking up litter scattered along both sides of the path. “A lot of trash gets hidden in the crevices between rocks,” Yu said with a smile as he moved aside stones to retrieve items. “These drink cans, food wrappers, and broken ceramic cups are quite well ‘hidden.’” There was also a special volunteer at the scene — 3-year-old Niu Niu, who was hiking for the first time. Niu Niu’s parents said they were happy to bring their child to such an outdoor public welfare activity because it provided both exercise and an early lesson in environmental awareness.
Team leader Qu Zhixing told reporters, “On such rugged mountain trails, the protection offered by outdoor gear is very evident. Details like scratches from thorny bushes and discomfort caused by sweating can all affect the hiking experience. The Gore-Tex clothing everyone wore today handled these issues very well.”
The Nature Friends Mountaineering Team was founded in 2005. Since its establishment, the team has upheld the slogan “Climb a mountain, clean a trail” while organizing hiking, environmental protection, and educational support activities. As early as 2008, Qu Zhixing connected with Gore, winning the annual championship in the second “Experience Unlimited – Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization Activity” with his proposal for a “Miao and Dong Cultural Exploration Tour in Southeastern Guizhou,” earning a full set of outdoor gear sponsored by Gore. Over the following four years, the team’s outdoor and public welfare activities have continued to receive support from Gore.
“Protecting the environment starts with personal action, not just slogans or empty words. If you truly love nature while hiking, you should put that love into practice. That’s the mission of hikers in protecting the natural environment,” team leader Qu Zhixing said with satisfaction as he watched the lively Niu Niu moving ahead.
Qu Zhixing introduces the achievements and future plans of this “Qingxiang” activity to reporters
After the activity, Qu Zhixing told reporters that a total of 40 large bags of litter, weighing around 300 pounds, were collected during this “Qingxiang” event. In the days to come, the Nature Friends Mountaineering Team will continue to organize weekly hiking and environmental protection activities, twice-monthly large-scale hiking and cleanup events in and around Beijing as well as other provinces, and an annual large-scale long-distance public welfare outdoor environmental trip lasting about 15 days. They also aim to conduct ongoing professional research to analyze the composition of outdoor litter and its impact on nature, so as to more vividly promote environmentally friendly hiking behavior to the public.