Mountaineer Shi Zhan Chun left behind towering peaks in his wake

    Why climb a mountain? “Because it’s there!” This was the classic reply from British mountaineer George Mallory, who paid the ultimate price while attempting to summit Mount Everest. In the mid-20th century, a group of Chinese people, equally passionate, were determined to conquer the world’s highest peak. Eventually, Wang Fuzhou, Qu Yinhua, and Gongbu succeeded in reaching the summit for the first time. Less well known is the “leader” behind them—Shi Zhan Chun.

　　At the family compound of the General Administration of Sport of China, located at No. 4 Si Kuai Yu, Dongcheng District, Beijing, Shi Zhan Chun sits in a wheelchair, pushed outside to enjoy the sunshine by his wife, Zhang Yulan. Before National Day 2009, CCTV-5’s program “Sports World” interviewed Shi Zhan Chun and Zhang Yulan. Inside their home, both the decor and furniture were very ordinary. As a former elite mountaineer, Shi Zhan Chun, now in his later years, has mobility issues and relies on his wife for getting around. Due to speech difficulties, Zhang Yulan answered questions on his behalf throughout the interview. Mount Everest holds many unforgettable memories for him.

　　1955　　
　　The beginning of China’s mountaineering movement

　　Shi Zhan Chun was born in Liren Village, Liren Town, Dengta City, Liaoyang, Liaoning Province. His father was a carpenter. At the age of 14, Shi Zhan Chun became a railway worker in Qiqihar. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1946 and once served as the head of the Propaganda Department of the Qiqihar Railway Workers’ Union and the deputy head of the Cultural and Educational Department of the Northeast Railway Workers’ Union. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he held positions such as head of the Propaganda Department of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, head of the Federation’s Mountaineering Team, director and deputy director-general of the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission, and chairman of the Chinese Mountaineering Association. Among all these roles, Shi Zhan Chun was most passionate about mountaineering, where he set numerous records through his dedication.

　　Of the 14 peaks above 8,000 meters in elevation on Earth, nine are located within or on the borders of China. However, before 1955, China’s mountaineering movement was virtually non-existent. In 1955, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions formed a 35-member mountaineering team with Shi Zhan Chun as the captain. By 1958, this young team had conquered the highest peak in the Soviet Union—Mount Elbrus—the so-called “Father of Glaciers,” Mount Mushtagh Ata, Mount Gongger Lobjo, and Mount Gongga, known as the “King of Mountains.” Gradually, China’s mountaineering movement began to take shape. To develop the sport further, under the direction of Marshal He Long, the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission subsequently established a mountaineering department.

　　Due to a lack of mountaineering experience, after the establishment of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Mountaineering Team, Soviet experts became the coaches for Chinese athletes. To set an example for the team, the strong and vigorous Shi Zhan Chun gritted his teeth and took the lead in intense training. He secretly resolved to help the team achieve results as soon as possible. On April 24, 1956, under the guidance of two Soviet experts, Shi Zhan Chun led 31 members to successfully summit Taibai Mountain, the main peak of the Qinling Range, at an elevation of 3,767 meters. After a brief rest, at 2:00 PM on July 31 of the same year, the Sino-Soviet joint team, led by Shi Zhan Chun, reached the summit of Mount Mushtagh Ata. This climb marked the first human ascent of the peak. Several successful summits boosted the morale of the Chinese mountaineering team. In May 1957, Shi Zhan Chun led the team to climb Mount Gongga. On June 13, Shi Zhan Chun, along with Shi Xiu, Liu Lianman, Liu Dayi, Peng Zhongmu, and Guo Decun, ascended the main peak at 7,556 meters via the northwest ridge. Climbing Mount Gongga marked the first time Chinese athletes independently led a team to scale a peak and also the first time they independently reached a height above 7,500 meters. The successful ascent of Mount Gongga signaled a new era in China’s mountaineering movement. In June 1958, the Chinese Mountaineering Association was established, and Shi Zhan Chun, with his outstanding performance, rightfully became its secretary-general.

　　1960　　
　　Climbing Everest and nearly falling off

　　For over two hundred years since its discovery, Mount Everest has claimed the lives of over a hundred people. Explorers have been more interested in climbing from the more challenging northern slope on the Chinese side. Despite several attempts, none had succeeded until then. In 1924, the famous British mountaineer George Mallory tragically died during an attempt on the north slope, falling just short of the summit.

　　On December 20, 1958, He Long, who was also the head of the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission, summoned Shi Zhan Chun and a few others to his office and asked them whether they thought Chinese climbers could succeed if they attempted the climb on their own. Shi Zhan Chun replied, “Other aspects are not major issues, but the biggest difficulty is the lack of equipment for altitudes above 8,000 meters. According to the original Sino-Soviet joint mountaineering agreement, the equipment was to be provided by the Soviet side.” Upon hearing this, He Long stood up and said, “If they won’t do it, we will. We can go abroad to buy the equipment. No one can choke us off. The Chinese people are determined to win this point. You must reach the summit and bring glory to the country.” Soon after, following approval from higher authorities, He Long assigned Shi Zhan Chun a special mission—to take a translator and fly to Switzerland to purchase equipment. Shi Zhan Chun mentioned that he brought $700,000 with him at the time, but few people knew about this overseas trip.

　　On March 19, 1960, Shi Zhan Chun led the Chinese mountaineering team to the Everest base camp. Later, he recalled that the team also included a scientific expedition composed of members from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Geology, and the General Staff Department of the People’s Liberation Army. The Chinese team launched their assault on Everest from the northern slope. According to “The Biography of He Long,” due to harsh weather, the third acclimatization climb encountered significant challenges and came at a considerable cost. A number of promising athletes—including Shi Zhan Chun, Wang Fengtong, Xu Jing, Chen Rongchang, and Peng Shuli—who had the physical and technical capability to reach the summit suffered varying degrees of frostbite and were unable to continue. Video footage from the climb shows Shi Zhan Chun nearly slipping and falling at one point. The inability of several climbers to continue immediately caused concern among the team. Around that time, Premier Zhou Enlai, returning from a visit to Myanmar, landed in Kunming and immediately asked, “Where is our mountaineering team now?” The whole nation was deeply invested in the team’s progress. True to expectations, on May 25 at 4:20 AM, Wang Fuzhou, Qu Yinhua, and Gongbu successfully reached the summit. After the successful ascent of Everest, He Long sent a heartfelt congratulatory message to the team. The achievement greatly inspired the people of China at the time.

　　In 1975, the Chinese mountaineering team once again challenged Mount Everest. Shi Zhan Chun was appointed captain once more. This time, the team was even larger, consisting of 434 members, including 179 athletes—36 of whom were women—and 255 support personnel, including scientific researchers, meteorologists, communications experts, journalists, medical staff, transportation crew, cooks, and other logistics personnel. The team entered the mountain in early March. After multiple climbs, at 2:30 PM on May 27, 1975, they successfully reached the summit. The scale of this collective ascent and the extent of the scientific achievements were unprecedented in the history of world mountaineering. Notably, the team set up a 3.5-meter surveying target on Everest for the first time, which allowed surveyors to measure the mountain’s official elevation at 8,848.13 meters.

　　The performance of the Chinese mountaineering team amazed the world, and Shi Zhan Chun became a “heavyweight” figure in the global and Chinese mountaineering communities. In 1986, he was elected chairman of the Chinese Mountaineering Association. In early 1988, Shi Zhan Chun served as the overall team leader, commanding a joint Sino-Japanese-Nepalese mountaineering expedition to Everest. On May 5, the joint team summited from both the southern and northern routes and met at the peak, accomplishing another great feat in the history of human mountaineering.