On May 28, Chen Hui, known as the “Chinese High-Altitude Slope Slacklining King,” successfully completed his second barefoot crossing on a 30-meter slackline suspended between two peaks at an altitude of 700 meters on Lovers’ Peak in Jiuxian Mountain, Wulian, Rizhao, after a first failed attempt. He broke the national high-altitude slacklining record at 30 meters and retained his title as the Slacklining King.
The Challenged King
On May 28, in Wulian Jiuxian Mountain, Rizhao City, Shandong Province, a 30-meter slackline hung between Warriors’ Peak to the north and Fairies’ Peak to the south, stretched across Lovers’ Peak. The mountain top was shrouded in fog, with temperatures as low as 10°C, light rain, and winds at force 4. The ceremonial girls wore short skirts, shivering in the cold wind, while staff members donned heavy cotton coats.
This was the challenge site for the “Chinese High-Altitude Slope Slacklining King.”
The person being challenged was Chen Hui, nicknamed “Slackline Hui” in the circle. His challenger, Yang Lianwu, had an even more striking nickname: “The Unfallen.” The two challengers rested in the vehicle—Chen Hui sat in the third row, while Yang Lianwu, with his hiking backpack, sat in a corner.
Because high-altitude slacklining requires wind speeds not exceeding force 3, the crosswinds at the mountaintop and unpredictable weather directly determined the success or failure of the challenge.
“The strongest wind I’ve challenged was force 3,” Chen Hui told Qilu Network reporters. “The angle at which the wind blows my clothes shouldn’t exceed 45 degrees. Light rain doesn’t affect me, but today’s success hinges on the wind.”
Chen Hui wasn’t visiting Jiuxian Mountain for the first time. In 2011, he came to climb but was thwarted by rain. Two years later, he decided to try again.
This extreme athlete, sponsored by Adidas, was once an electrician at a property management company. He gained high prestige in the circle for his freehand rock climbing. “I’ve never been injured,” he told the reporter.
Outside the vehicle, drums thundered. Two staff members role-played as Chen Hui and Yang Lianwu, repeatedly practicing their exit and cheer gestures.
With two hours left before the challenge, Chen Hui fell silent, closing his eyes to rest. During the ten-plus days of preparation, he didn’t rehearse in advance. “No need,” he said indifferently.
Meanwhile, challenger Yang Lianwu had already practiced four crossings on the slackline.
“He succeeded six times out of four crossings,” people around him said, putting faith in his chances. If he could break Chen Hui’s 30-meter high-altitude slacklining record, the title of “Slacklining King” would change hands.
Thirteen camera angles were set up. The director’s team approached to instruct Yang Lianwu on how to make his entrance. “Jump down from the big rock on the right side of the stage. Before going on, be sure to do some impactful moves. Look into the camera and say, ‘I will definitely succeed!’”
The Challenger Yang Lianwu
In Nanjing, Beijing, Wuzhou, Wenzhou, and Guangzhou, a slacklining community thrives.
The challenger is Yang Lianwu, a 37-year-old from Nanjing and a senior bridge engineer who graduated from Chongqing Jiaotong University. A health checkup ten years ago revealed he had high blood lipids—the main culprits being the irregular diet and frequent drinking associated with his profession.
He decided to rehabilitate himself through exercise. Living near Nanjing University of Science and Technology, he began walking on the school playground railing. While speed-walking, he discovered his natural balance. Soon, he could sprint along railings no thicker than an arm.
From then on, Yang Lianwu became unstoppable. He started practicing with iron chains and clotheslines in parking lots, but his wife soon began complaining, “Every time he gets injured doing parkour, our home smells like red flower oil.”
“At the end of 2009, I saw a slacklining video online,” Yang said with a thick Nanjing accent. Compared to the reserved Chen Hui, he seemed quite animated in the vehicle. “The video moved me deeply. I felt I’d discovered myself too late. In that moment, I found my true calling.”
He immediately asked around where to buy a slackline. “Unlike abroad, you can’t find them just anywhere in supermarkets here,” Yang said. “I bought an industrial slackline on Taobao, the everything store.”
According to the reporter, industrial slacklines differ from professional sports slacklines. Their stretchability is only 3%–7%, while sports slacklines are temperature-controlled and can stretch up to 13%. That means a hundred-meter line can extend to 120–130 meters, offering better flexibility.
“To put it plainly, industrial slacklines are ropes used for towing vehicles,” Yang said. “Later, I finally found a manufacturer that produced sports slacklines—it was in Nanjing.” When Yang went there, he made a bold request to buy ten. The manufacturer poured cold water on his idea: “We’ll give you two. Selling even one is a stretch. No one in China plays this.”
“Such a great sport—healthy and joyful—why doesn’t anyone play it?” Yang said excitedly to the Qilu Network reporter. He decided to register a slacklining company to introduce others to this “niche” extreme sport that most people considered unusual.
“I’m the king of kids in my neighborhood!” Yang grew more animated as he spoke. “People in the neighborhood are used to it. When loquats on the tree are ripe but out of reach, they call me to pick them. When a neighbor’s badminton gets stuck in a tree, they’ll shout, ‘Yang Lianwu, come get it!’”
Teaching kids parkour moves is also part of his routine. “Health is one aspect, but extreme sports can actually help avoid risks,” Yang explained to the reporter, recounting a time he narrowly avoided injury.
One day in 2012, while riding his electric scooter to work, Yang was suddenly sideswiped by a tricycle that turned left without signaling. He leapt into the air, spun twice, and landed safely.
The onlookers were stunned. “The driver was an elderly man from the countryside—I couldn’t ask him for compensation.” Brushing the dust off himself, Yang pushed his scooter and walked away.
The Battle for the King
The host on-site, Xiao Moge, said, “If you want me to leave, you’ll have to give me a diaper.”
Jiuxian Mountain’s Lovers’ Peak stands at an altitude of 700 meters with a span of over 30 meters. Because Warrior Peak is 2 meters higher than Fairy Peak, the only 23mm-wide slackline developed a slope. When walking from high to low, Chen Hui and Yang Lianwu had to shift their body weight as far back as possible to counteract the downward force caused by gravity. As a result, the challenge became significantly more difficult.
The opening ceremony quickly concluded. Chen Hui and Yang Lianwu entered an ambulance for a routine medical check-up. In May, Chen Hui injured his foot during a slacklining performance. With the injury still not healed, doctors did not recommend he take part in this high-altitude extreme challenge.
The windmill in the host’s hand spun rapidly.
Under the gaze of the expectant crowd, Yang Lianwu stepped onto the slackline. His first step was cautious, and every move thereafter was nerve-wracking. The wind at the mountaintop swayed his body, and it was clear he was struggling to maintain his balance. A sudden strong gust of wind came, causing Yang Lianwu to fail the challenge and reluctantly sit down on the slackline.
He stood up again, performed a brilliant stunt at the 3/5 point of the slackline, and then calmly returned to the starting point. He attributed the failure to the strong wind.
Chen Hui took the stage. This left-handed extreme athlete was widely rumored to possess astonishing mental fortitude. Unlike Yang Lianwu, he went barefoot. Viewers at home could clearly see the white bandage wrapped around his left foot through the live broadcast camera. A strong gust of wind came, and Chen Hui lost his balance. After spinning three times on the slackline, he also stopped at the 1/5 point.
In the first round of challenges, both participants failed.
Chen Hui got one more chance. “I want to experience the feeling of the strong wind again,” said the shy yet somewhat stubborn athlete.
At the halfway point of the slackline, Chen Hui lay down on the rope. The crowd erupted in applause for this highly difficult stunt. Right then, Chen Hui sprang up and walked to the finish line.
At that moment, the 30-meter-high slackline record was broken, and Chen Hui also retained his title as the king of high-altitude extremes.