On October 27, 2017, the Peking University Mountain Eagle Society held a report meeting for the Tuanjie Peak expedition team at 6:30 p.m. in the teaching building.
Expedition Report Meeting Venue
The Tuanjie Peak expedition team members went through two months—from initial selection and training to the final climb. Nights drenched in sweat, uncertain paths ahead, heavy backpacks, red ropes, white clouds, and green mountains—these countless images wove together a moving picture. Now, more than three months after their return, these Peking University students stood on the stage to reflect on their journey with the snow-capped mountains. Qian Junwei, Director of the Mass Sports Office at Peking University’s Physical Education Teaching and Research Section and faculty advisor to the Mountain Eagle Society, as well as representatives from sibling clubs such as the Peking University Cycling Association, Beijing Institute of Technology Hyacinth Outdoor Club, Beijing International Studies University Fenglan Mountaineering Association, Beihang University Lingfeng Society, China University of Geosciences Earth Society, Beijing Forestry University Shannuo Club, Beijing Normal University Green Camp Outdoor Association, Beijing University of Technology Junye Mountaineering Society, Minzu University of China Wild Man Gang, Renmin University Free Men Outdoor Sports Association, China Hiking Association, North China Electric Power University U2 Mountaineering Society, were invited to attend.
The meeting began with a speech by Mr. Qian. Watching the documentary moved him deeply, reminding him of his fellow climbers during last year’s Cho Oyu ascent. He frankly stated, “There is no scenery below the snow line; everyone above the rope is family.”
Qian Junwei Shares the Spirit of the Mountain Eagle
He acknowledged the outstanding performance of the Tuanjie Peak team in their dialogue with the mountains and encouraged the continuation of the Mountain Eagle tradition of passing on knowledge from veterans to newcomers. Mr. Qian emphasized that summer climbing remains the society’s most important flagship activity. Whether it was the ascent of Everest’s North Col or the National Day climb of Cho Oyu, all relied on the experience and knowledge gained during summer expeditions. Over the past twenty-eight years, the Mountain Eagle Society has grown continuously, learning from each summer climb, and is now aiming for the life-height of 8,000 meters—the world’s tallest peak—next year, in celebration of Peking University’s 120th anniversary. Meanwhile, the development of the society would not have been possible without the support of sibling clubs and the media. With joint efforts, university mountaineering teams and outdoor education are gradually evolving, and more people are realizing that climbing can deepen one's understanding of traditional culture and self-awareness.
Next, expedition leader Qiao Ximing (represented by Sun Jing) gave an overview of the preparation before the climb, the formation and training of the team, and the overall climbing process. Due to the impact of the Everest project, there were relatively few veteran members, so the team chose Tuanjie Peak, which has a lower altitude and difficulty. Additionally, as Tuanjie Peak has relatively limited documentation, they hoped to gather comprehensive data through this climb.
Expedition Leader Qiao Ximing (Represented by Sun Jing) Explains Team Overview
After selecting the mountain, through rigorous selection, new members stood out and joined the veterans for a two-month intensive training period to ensure optimal physical and technical readiness for the mountain climb.
Climbing Captain Long Tianyun Introduces the Climb
Climbing captain Long Tianyun provided an overview of the climb. Tuanjie Peak, also known as Gangze’uwujie, saw the team primarily following the 2013 Tsinghua University Mountaineering Team’s route, with plans to measure the actual summit elevation. Early stages went smoothly—the actual campsite was set at least five kilometers ahead of the originally planned base camp, and route scouting and gear transport progressed well. However, later in the climb, the weather turned sharply worse with rain. Attempts were made to seize good weather windows for a summit push, but ultimately, the summit was not reached. A major mistake was the lack of timely weather consultation to adjust the climbing schedule. It was later found that a nearby weather monitoring station had high accuracy. Long Tianyun stated that future climbs will learn from this experience—not necessarily adhering strictly to the conventional adapt-trail-fix-summit model, but adjusting based on weather conditions.
Team Members Introduce Themselves
Finally, sixteen expedition members introduced themselves. Through their glowing faces, we seemed to return to the snowy peaks—where they huddled in sleeping bags facing thunder and lightning, where they met the sunrise, where they built birthday cakes from raisins and snow on the mountain, where they encountered the beautiful Lake Hala...
In the climbing documentary, the tiny figures of the team members moved forward relentlessly, embodying the spirit of the Mountain Eagle: “With the heart of an eagle, aspire to the heights.” Though the summit was not reached, reaching the top was never the society’s ultimate goal—the true pursuit has always been the passing on of spirit. As the documentary reads, “‘Jie’ means ending, meeting, forming bonds, results; ‘Jie’ is gathering, intertwining, bundling. Depart at sunrise, ‘Jie’ is a state of connection. Gangze’uwujie is the name of the mountain.” Perhaps, everything was destined all along.
Wishing the Mountain Eagles success in next year’s Everest climb, and hoping they stay true to their original aspirations—always remembering life and love, growth and freedom. Thanks to sponsors Kailas, edelrid (via Anfeilong), Scarpa, GOTE, Lupine, CAMELBAK, MBC, Fenix for their strong support of this event.
Group Photo of Attendees After the Expedition Report Meeting
— Reporter Li Jiaofeng