Rock climbing has become a common fitness activity among urbanites, but do you think climbing is only for fitness? As more and more people get involved in this sport, it has now evolved into a new form of socializing. Many white-collar workers are making friends and building connections through rock climbing. In Chongqing, six ordinary families became acquainted through climbing and formed a "Climbing Family." The six children and adults all refer to each other as siblings, and it’s been eight years since they started.
June 8th, University Town — A female international student participates in a rock climbing enthusiasts' competition.
Six Families "Team Up" and Call Each Other Siblings
At 1 p.m. on June 8th, while light rain was still falling outside, a hundred-person rock climbing competition was underway at the Climbing Gym in Area 2 of Xijie, University Town. Over 60 university students and more than 40 skilled social climbers gathered to compete. Among them, the most special team was one called the "Climbing Family," whose members came from three families but referred to each other as brothers and sisters.
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Group photo of the six families [Save to album]
The reporter spoke with the team leader, Ms. Tan, who explained that their group actually consists of 18 people from six families, though only three families attended this time. As for how they address each other, Ms. Tan laughed and said it’s just how the six "climbing families" interact. Because of their shared love for climbing, everyone gets along so well they feel like family, so they simply ranked themselves by the parents’ ages and call each other siblings.
Ms. Zhong, who was with the group, pointed to her daughter Gong Kexin and told a business reporter that her daughter is a first-year high school student at Luneng Bashu and is 16 years old this year. She is fifth in age among the six children, but the adults call her "Six-One-One."
"There’s no helping it. My dad joined last, so he’s the sixth among the six dads, which means I can only be the youngest," Gong Kexin said with an "aggrieved" look on her face.
Bonded by Climbing — All Six Families Are "Climbing Enthusiasts"
The story of how these six families met all stems from the children’s love for climbing. In 2006, five children who loved climbing went to Beijing together to participate in the National Youth Rock Climbing Championships and won several awards. When they returned to Chongqing, the children and parents celebrated together and discovered that the five sets of parents were also "climbing fanatics" just like their kids, and that all six families lived close to each other, near Huangnix and Xinpaifang.
"Why don’t we just call each other brothers and form one big family?" suggested Li Yong, one of the five families. The idea was unanimously agreed upon, so they ranked themselves from “Eldest” to “Fifth” based on the fathers’ ages. Li Yong ended up as Fifth, and his wife and children followed accordingly.
"Fifth" Li Yong is the head of a rock climbing club where the children often climb. Yesterday, in an interview with a business reporter, he said that "Sixth" Gong Yi and his daughter Gong Kexin are regulars at the club. In 2008, Gong Yi happened to hear about how the five families addressed each other as siblings and asked to join. That’s how the "Climbing Family" made up of six families was finally formed.
"The first thing Sixth did when he joined was cook," Li Yong said with a smile. According to their "family rule," all families take turns visiting each other's homes for meals, and the meals must be cooked at home to strengthen bonds. Aside from cooking, they also created QQ and WeChat groups where all 18 members of the six families stay connected. Kids and adults chat together and plan climbing or outdoor activities. They gather during holidays just like a real family.
"Climbing" Out Friendship — Rock Climbing Becomes a Social Bond
"Rock climbing is the common bond between our six families," "Sister-in-law Four" Li Hong told a business reporter. Within their group, they also frequently hold competitions, with separate categories for moms, dads, and kids. "The results aren’t the main thing — what matters is the joy during the climb."
Li Qingke is the eldest of the six children. Now a junior majoring in performing arts at Chongqing University, he has participated in professional training with the national rock climbing team. Four years ago, he broke his foot during training but didn’t give up, finishing the competition in a cast.
"The spirit of rock climbing is about striving and never giving up easily. Big brother set an example for us," Gong Kexin told a business reporter. Influenced by her mother, she started learning to climb in second grade and is considered one of the more experienced and skilled among the six children, although she still feels she can’t compare to Li Qingke.
Like the "Climbing Family," there are many others in Chongqing’s climbing community who use climbing as a social bond. On June 8th, Luo Xin, director of Chongqing University’s climbing gym, told a business reporter that there are about 200 people in Chongqing’s "climbing community," most of whom know each other. Though few are as close as the "Climbing Family" who practically formed a sworn brotherhood, many have become friends through climbing.
Zhang Fei, president of Chongqing University’s Flying Bird Mountaineering Association and one of the organizers of this competition, told a business reporter that around 60 students and over 40 social climbing experts took part in the event, with most of them knowing each other well.
Yu Leya, a first-year graduate student studying Chinese at Chongqing University and a Russian beauty, started learning to climb eight months ago. Speaking fluent Chinese, she told a business reporter that she fell in love with climbing through a friend’s influence. She practices regularly at Chongqing University and has made many new friends. "I often chat with them on WeChat and make plans to climb together."