Wang QiuYang in Antarctica. She spent six years completing the '7+2' expedition.
Recently, Wang QiuYang, the first Chinese woman to complete the '7+2' (climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents and trekking to both the North and South Poles) expedition, published the book *Breathe Freely*, sharing her adventure experiences, insights, and encounters with local cultures in extreme environments.
The '7+2' refers to climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents and trekking to the North and South Poles — the nine ultimate challenges on Earth. According to incomplete statistics, fewer than 20 people worldwide have completed this expedition so far, and Wang QiuYang is the first Chinese woman to do so. She accomplished the entire journey over six years. She mentioned that initially, it was completely unintentional, but once she started, she just kept going. She believes it’s quite different from her previous interests like road trips and backpacking — it's a more unique way of measuring the length and height of the Earth.
The most perilous moment: nearly perishing on South America’s highest peak
In the book, readers can see what she saw and felt at these extreme locations. Many details reveal her fear when facing challenges and how she overcame them. For example, while climbing Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America, she almost didn’t make it. Due to initial underestimation and lack of preparation, they found the route unexpectedly long, and unfortunately, they were caught in the biggest snowstorm ever recorded on Aconcagua. Seven people died in the avalanche that occurred then, but she was lucky enough to be rescued. Eventually, she was pulled back to base camp by her teammates using a rope tied around her waist.
The most touching insight: mountaineering is like Zen meditation
Wang QiuYang mentioned that recently, while discussing Zen meditation with friends, she suddenly realized that the insights she gained from mountaineering were very similar to those from Zen practice. She felt that during climbing, even while simply walking, she engaged in philosophical thinking — even if there were no definite answers, the process itself was incredibly beautiful. In Zen meditation, there’s a saying about imagining each step as stepping on a lotus flower. She believes mountaineering is even more like that because every step in climbing requires being fully present in the moment, moving forward one step at a time.