On the afternoon of September 18, KAILAS climber Xie Weicheng successfully completed the classic 9a/5.14D route "Red Dot Rice" at Leipi Mountain in Yangshuo.
The climbing route "Red Dot Rice" at Leipi Mountain is about 38 meters long and consists of two pitches. The first pitch has a difficulty rating of 12B, and the second pitch was established by Chris Sharma in 2009. At that time, after establishing the route, Chris Sharma climbed it a few times, but due to the weather, the rock face was somewhat damp, so he didn’t complete it before leaving Yangshuo. According to several well-known climbers, the second pitch of the "Red Dot Rice" route has an angle of about 110 degrees, with the crux located around the 30-meter mark. Prior to the crux, there is a series of small holds, with almost no major resting spots. The critical move involves grabbing a very small hold—estimated to be only about 3 millimeters deep—and requires precise footwork and body positioning to reach a small pinch. For many top domestic climbers, this single move is already near the limit.
In 2010, A’Cheng once attempted to redpoint the route but failed to link it due to not finding the right sequence on one move. Previously, he had tried to dyno to a slightly larger pocket before the crux rather than using a heel hook. He didn’t attempt the route again after that. It wasn’t until April of this year, after seeing Wang Qinghua successfully complete the route, that A’Cheng was inspired to try using a heel hook to overcome the crux, similar to Wang’s method. However, after several attempts, he still couldn’t get through the crux. Later, due to competition route-setting and overseas climbing trips, he didn’t have time to return to Yangshuo to try the route. It wasn’t until early September that he came back to Yangshuo to attempt the Red Dot again. His September attempts felt noticeably better than those in April—even though he still fell at the crux, he felt it was close to being sent. Because the holds on this route are extremely small, he could only climb it twice a day before needing to rest for two days, and each session left the skin on his fingertips worn down to the point of bleeding.
The day of the breakthrough finally came. On September 18, A’Cheng made another attempt. Having not climbed for several days while attending a driving test, his performance during the first ascent of the day wasn’t great—he had to break the climb into several sections before reaching the top. Due to not warming up sufficiently, he didn’t even think about sending it on the second go—but unexpectedly, he broke through the crux on that attempt, and for the first time, he did it in one continuous push. However, getting past the crux didn’t mean the climb was smooth sailing—there were still several tough moves afterward. According to A’Cheng, A’Bang, who climbed with him that day, also fell just after the crux while trying to grab the final jug.
Previously, Wang Qinghua also fell multiple times after passing the crux. This shows that sending the entire route smoothly is no easy feat. But at the time, A’Cheng was in a very relaxed mindset because he hadn’t been aiming for a redpoint, so there wasn’t much pressure. His climbing remained steady afterward, all the way to the top of the route. It wasn’t until he clipped the last quickdraw that he realized he had done it. “This unexpected redpoint felt absolutely amazing, especially on such a hard route,” A’Cheng said frankly. He added that he hadn’t spent time visualizing the moves of a route in the evening or when not climbing for a long time. Rediscovering that feeling and ultimately completing his project in that state was a truly rewarding experience. And perhaps that’s what makes climbing so captivating—there’s fear, there’s hope, and there’s always a bit of surprise and discovery waiting for you.
In March 2012, Xie Weicheng and Wang Qinghua in Yangshuo (photo provided by China Outdoor Images)
Following KAILAS climber Wang Qinghua’s first redpoint of the 9a "Red Dot Rice" route, another KAILAS climber, Xie Weicheng, has also conquered this classic line. Its significance lies not only in demonstrating the boundless allure of climbing to more outdoor and climbing enthusiasts through real action, but also in elevating Chinese climbing to greater heights and aligning it with the global development of the sport.