"Fear—that was the fear of certain death. I wanted to give up more than ever before, more than in any climb before."
— Wu Fengjing
During the descent of the fourth rope section, the anchor cluster pulled out
"The harness broke."
Moved to the fifth section, descended a few meters, then heard an unusual sound. Looking up, she saw a teammate rolling down the rope at a distance in the upper right
Teammate's Weibo post: "The harness broke."
On the evening of the 1st
"Setting off to climb Jian Shan Zi tomorrow. Pumping myself up, just hoping for a smooth summit and safe descent."
Around 5 p.m. on the 2nd
"After five hours of climbing, we finally reached Jian Shan Zi base camp at 4,700 meters above sea level."
On the 3rd
"It was so cold last night, the three of us huddled together for warmth." "Wolf Team said they’re having a barbecue at base camp this afternoon—yay!"
Around 5 a.m. on the 5th
"Jingjing, who was pushing for Jian Shan Zi, may you rest in peace. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you."
The news that Guangzhou-based mountaineer and 29-year-old Wu Fengjing died in the Siguniang Mountains on the 4th has left people heartbroken. On the day of the incident, Wu’s family arrived in the Siguniang Mountains. Yesterday, her body was taken to the Dujiangyan Funeral Home accompanied by family members. There, reporters from Sichuan Online met Wu’s parents and some fellow outdoor enthusiasts. But none of them were willing to talk much about the tragic circumstances of her death...
Family unwilling to discuss the accident
Yesterday afternoon, Wu’s parents and a group of five friends arrived early at the Dujiangyan Funeral Home. Wu’s mother, wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket, looked depressed with red, swollen eyes. When a reporter asked about the aftermath arrangements for Wu, the elderly woman interrupted, "We’re all very upset..."
Around 3 p.m., Wu’s body was brought to the funeral home. Seeing the cold remains, the family burst into tears. One outdoor enthusiast, grief-stricken, said, "I didn’t take good care of Jingjing, I’m sorry to you all!" Then he knelt abruptly in front of Wu’s family.
Teammates avoiding questions
Just before Wu’s body was brought in, a muddy black SUV drove into the funeral home, loaded with sports gear and labeled with outdoor adventure stickers on the back. A man in a blue down jacket hurried out of the SUV and ran toward the funeral home lobby.
The other five people in the SUV never got out. Judging by their appearance, they were also likely outdoor enthusiasts. When a reporter approached to ask if they were Wu’s teammates, only the driver responded, "No, we don’t know Wu Fengjing." The other four kept their heads deeply bowed. Soon after, the driver drove the SUV out of the funeral home. Later, two men from the vehicle were seen circling back from a distance and quickly entering the funeral home lobby.
Teammates speak out
How did the anchor come loose?
I can’t explain it
As all of Wu’s teammates refused to describe what happened, at around 4:30 p.m. yesterday, teammate "The Harness Broke," who climbed with Jingjing in the Siguniang Mountains, posted on Weibo: "Jingjing’s accident happened on the fourth rope section. That section’s anchor was set up by the guide who placed two rock anchors. After the guide finished setting the anchor, I was the first to descend, and Jingjing was second. After I finished descending, I moved to the fifth section and continued down. Then Jingjing began descending the fourth section. A few meters into my descent on the fifth section, I heard an unusual sound. Looking up, I saw a teammate rolling down the rope at a distance in the upper right. I was below. How the anchor failed, how the two rock anchors came loose—I can’t explain it."
Later, "The Harness Broke" posted another Weibo saying: "Out of respect for Jingjing’s family’s wishes, I will make no further statements regarding this mountain accident. I hope everyone understands. Thank you."
Moments before her death
Before the climb, she posted: "Scared, scared to death."
"New Year’s Day, an avatar that will never be updated again. From elementary school, middle school, and university classmates to colleagues, through your lens I saw a bigger world, and through your footsteps I glimpsed a different life." This is a Weibo post from one of Wu Fengjing’s friends, accompanied by a photo of a message Wu posted before her climb.
The message read: "Hiding in the tent, even getting up to go to the bathroom takes tremendous courage. Putting on shoes, panting heavily, heart rate at 100. The scales in my heart swing back and forth—go up tomorrow or call it off? But deep down I know this dilemma is the most basic, the voice in my heart is desire-free. Fear—sheer, paralyzing fear. I want to give up more than ever before, more than on any previous climb."
Later, reporters tried to contact other friends of Wu Fengjing on Weibo but received no responses.
During the climb
Teammates documented the climb on Weibo
Having barbecue on the mountain before the incident
After the accident, reporters found the Weibo account of Wu Fengjing’s teammate “Belt Broke,” who documented their entire climbing journey on the platform. On the evening of the first day of 2014, he posted: "Heading up Jian Shan Zi tomorrow. Cheering myself on."
At around 5 p.m. on January 2, “Belt Broke” posted again: "After five hours of climbing, we finally reached the Jian Shan Zi base camp at 4,700 meters. 'The wind is strong, it’s cold.' He also mentioned that he and 'Hundred Peaks Dizzy Wolf' (guide Zheng Zhaohui) had set up two tents and got the wireless WiFi working. 'Now curled up in my sleeping bag scrolling WeChat and playing games—so nice!'"
On January 3, “Belt Broke” posted four Weibo updates. "'Last night was so cold, Hundred Peaks Dizzy Wolf, Jing Jing, and I huddled together for warmth.' 'The inside and outside of the sleeping bag where it touches your breath are all iced over. Getting up to pee nearly froze me solid.' By the time he posted this, the sun had already risen, so their plan for the day was: 'Today is a training day. After breakfast, we’ll lay some ropes at the pass.'"
At 5:30 p.m., he posted another update: "Thought the training would be easy, but turns out the condition was terrible. Carried three ropes from the 4,700-meter base camp up to near the 5,100-meter pass—it took three hours, super exhausting."
His last post of the day was a picture of them having barbecue at the Jian Shan Zi base camp: "'Hundred Peaks Outdoor Dizzy Wolf,' Jing Jing, and I enjoyed some rare barbecued wild boar at the Jian Shan Zi base camp!" Meanwhile, Wu Fengjing herself never posted anything about the trip on her own Weibo. Her only comment was the first one under “Belt Broke’s” post: "Jing Jing is here."
At around 5 a.m. yesterday, “Belt Broke” posted on Weibo: "To Jing Jing, who was pushing for the peak of Jian Shan Zi—may you rest in peace. Sorry I couldn’t protect you." Reporter Chen Qiao & Wang S/p>