The figure at the top of the wall is Zhou Jinhé. Facing a climbing wall over 20 meters high, she shows no fear at all.
A 3-year-old child, as agile as Spider-Man, swiftly climbs up the tens-of-meters-high rock face and soon reaches the top. This isn’t a sci-fi movie scene, but a real moment of Zhou Jinhé, a little girl from Guangzhou, enjoying rock climbing. Born on February 1, 2010, her remarkable agility stems from her father, Zhou Lichao, who is a renowned climbing coach. Now, both Zhou’s parents are dedicated to promoting rock climbing among youths, hoping that through this sport, more children can build strong bodies and gain the confidence to reach new heights, just like their daughter.
Zhou Lichao is the head coach of the Olympic Sports Climbing Club. For years, he has been promoting the growth of climbing in Guangzhou, earning him great respect within the climbing community.
In his sophomore year at South China University of Technology, Zhou Lichao first tried climbing. Though he knew little about the techniques at the time, his determination to hold on at a difficult spot for over ten minutes moved his coach. From then on, Zhou Lichao developed an inseparable bond with climbing. Now, as a professional climbing coach, he has trained over a dozen national champions, and thousands of children have fallen in love with climbing through his lessons.
Climbing not only led Zhou Lichao to the career he pursued for life but also helped him form a happy family. Often practicing climbing in Yangshuo, he fell in love with and eventually married the local beauty Ni Fangping. Initially clueless about climbing, Ni Fangping gradually fell in love with the sport under her husband’s encouragement — she even continued climbing in the early stages of pregnancy without realizing she was pregnant. Now, Ni Fangping often jokes that their daughter Zhou Jinhé started learning to climb while still in the womb.
When asked if she enjoys climbing, little Zhou Jinhé giggles non-stop: “It’s fun because daddy put the bunny up there.” It turns out she was only 2 years and 3 months old when she first came to climb. Although she was already adept at the 2-meter practice wall at home, she was still scared when first facing the 22-meter-high, domestically record-breaking artificial climbing wall at Guangzhou Olympic Sports Climbing Center. To encourage her, Zhou Lichao hung her favorite plush bunny toy at about 5–6 meters up the wall to attract her to climb higher. The trick worked — after a month of training, she could easily reach her bunny. With this crucial first step, Zhou gradually raised the bunny’s height, and his daughter grew more confident. She not only conquered the beginner routes but now finds moderately challenging sloped walls a piece of cake.
As Zhou Jinhé’s climbing performance improved, she garnered more attention. Her mother, Ni Fangping, believes that climbing has not only given her daughter a healthy body but also tremendous confidence, which will benefit her future growth. Nowadays, some 7- or 8-year-old children feel timid when first visiting the climbing gym, but seeing a toddler climb dozens of meters effortlessly quickly eases their concerns, and they confidently join the training. As a result, Hehe (as she’s affectionately called) has become a “living advertisement” for the climbing center.
Safety assurance: almost no danger
Although to outsiders, letting a 2-year-old climb so high might seem alarming, Zhou Lichao, a certified intermediate climbing coach from the Chinese Mountaineering Association, believes there is absolutely no danger under strict safety measures. “Climbing may look dangerous, but artificial walls are very safe. With proper safety precautions, climbing is actually nothing to fear,” Zhou explains. He notes that climbing is a very safe physical activity because every climber has a belayer whose rope is connected to the climber via an “8” figure harness. This setup is simple yet secure, ensuring safety throughout the climb. The belayer pays out rope as the climber ascends and tightens it to prevent falls if the climber slips, guaranteeing the climber’s safety. Therefore, as long as one follows safety rules and uses certified equipment, climbing is essentially risk-free.
“Nowadays, many parents closely monitor every step of their child’s progress. When their kids come to learn climbing, parents get extremely nervous, scrutinizing their child’s every move. When children encounter challenges on the wall, parents often get more anxious than the kids and may even try to direct them from below. This makes the child even more tense,” says Zhou, who has 14 years of climbing experience and understands youth psychology well, knowing how to guide children. “Many kids tend to act spoiled in front of their parents, so they can’t perform at their best with their parents around. So when I encounter such nervous parents, I ask them to leave the area and let our professional coaches guide the children. This way, the kids learn faster and better.”
Suitable for all ages: age is no problem
Generally speaking, teenagers are the most suitable group for rock climbing. However, Zhou Lichao states, “Climbing is the sport with the least age restrictions. Regardless of gender or age, as long as you’re interested and your physical condition allows, we can help you become an outstanding climber.” But he also emphasizes, “From a long-term perspective, the best stage to master this sport is during the preschool years. Therefore, the ideal age for teenagers to start climbing is around 5 or 6. In addition, climbing doesn’t require much strength and focuses more on balanced coordination between hands and feet, so girls are in no way inferior to boys in climbing.” It is with this belief that Zhou let his daughter start climbing at the age of 2. “Because children have weaker arm strength, climbing places more emphasis on coordination and aerial balance. So when watching kids climb, it’s not just about height or difficulty — it’s also about their flexibility and limb coordination.”
According to Zhou Lichao, since teenagers are much braver than adults and have a stronger sense of self-challenge, they make up 70% of those who learn climbing. Almost all parents who send their children to climb report significant improvements in their kids’ focus, willpower, thinking ability, and physical fitness.
You can try it too“Ballet on the cliffs”
The rise of climbing can be traced back to the 18th-century mountaineering movement in Europe. To overcome challenges in climbing, people developed a method of using both hands and feet, which gradually evolved into the prototype of modern climbing. By the 1970s, climbing separated from mountaineering to become an independent sport and quickly gained popularity. Since then, sports enthusiasts around the world have fallen in love with this new activity, dubbing it “ballet on the cliffs.”
Located in Dongpu, Tianhe District, the Guangdong Olympic Sports Climbing Club features four standard routes, reaching a height of 22 meters, making it the tallest artificial climbing wall currently in use in China. With diverse wall and hold designs, it caters to beginners, enthusiasts, and even professional climbers for practice and competition. If you want to give it a try, just wear sportswear and soft-soled athletic shoes, and you’re ready to experience this brave game that combines fitness, fun, and competition.
Warm-up + professional protection
Before trying climbing, it’s essential to warm up sufficiently to avoid injuries. Then, begin climbing under the guidance and protection of professional coaches and equipment. Technical advisor and climbing coach Zhou Lichao, with years of climbing experience and leadership in organizing teams for various competitions, will patiently guide you to reach the summit.
Master the rhythm
Movements should be fluid but not reckless, with attention to detail. When ascending, always push with your feet — don’t rely solely on quick hand pulls or foot stomps. Use your hands mainly for balance and pulling your body toward the wall. There’s no need to go too fast; fluidity is key.
Hand-foot synchronization
Hand-foot synchronization refers to a technique where, when a handhold is around waist height, the climber also places the same-side foot on that hold, shifts their weight forward and upward onto the foot, pushes off to rise, and reaches for the next hold with the hand, while the other hand maintains balance — a technical maneuver involving coordinated movement.
Route planning
The climbing wall features numerous holds, allowing for multiple possible routes depending on which holds are used. Everyone’s physical condition differs, so each person has an optimal route. Choose the best route for your body and train your eye to identify and plan your own path.