Zhu Qingzi, a 16-year-old high school sophomore, successfully summited Muztagh Ata, standing at 7,546 meters, on her first attempt—and without supplemental oxygen.
Zhu Qingzi (pseudonym), together with her mother.
Starting to hike the Dongxi Yong area from the age of 3, climbing Wutong Mountain and Qiniang Mountain; reaching 5,500 meters on her first attempt at Muztagh Ata at 14, and successfully summiting at 16... Zhu Qingzi, a student in Class 16 (Grade 11) of Shenzhen Senior High School, followed her mother this year in July to summit Muztagh Ata, known as the "Father of Glaciers" and standing at 7,546 meters (located at the border between Aketao County and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region), setting the record for the youngest Chinese female to summit the highest peak.
The whole family loves hiking and camping—started hiking Dongxi Yong at age 3 with dad
"Actually, neither my mom nor I originally wanted to go hiking, but my dad really loved it. He’s a member of the Shenzhen Mountaineering Association and often took my mom and me hiking with him." Zhu Qingzi, now 16 years old and 1.6 meters tall, told reporters that she was taken by her dad to hike the entire Dongxi Yong area when she was just 3 years old—it took nearly one day. "Since then, my dad consciously started taking me on outdoor camping trips, going out to sea, and climbing both Big and Small Wutong Mountains and Qiniang Mountain." Zhu Qingzi said that back then, they would go hiking almost every weekend. "Before that, we had already explored many trails in Shenzhen!" "Dad’s methods were a bit harsh, but they were meant to train my resilience. I also developed a strong interest and gained a lot of stamina. I became much tougher than other kids my age, and now our whole family are sports enthusiasts!"
Started climbing snow mountains at 14, failed twice in attempts to summit
"You clap three, I clap three, three little cats climb the snow mountain." Two years ago, 14-year-old Zhu Qingzi embarked on her first real snow mountain adventure. "That was my first time climbing a snow mountain with my dad and mom. That was also my first time in Xinjiang. At that time I was still young, not very strong, and not well adapted—I only made it to 5,000 meters before my dad forcibly made me descend." In 2011, her father signed her up again for a Muztagh Ata climbing trip. With prior experience, this time the young girl made it to 6,700 meters. "When I reached 6,700 meters, my throat suddenly closed up, I had an intense headache, my body began to sway while walking, and my limbs were no longer responding to my brain." Zhu Qingzi said that these were signs of severe altitude sickness and physical discomfort. At that point, the guide urged them to descend, warning that if the severe altitude sickness continued, it could lead to life-threatening conditions such as pulmonary edema or cerebral edema. And so, that attempt ended in failure.
Life on the mountain isn’t easy. “At high altitudes, you can only eat instant noodles at every meal, and you might only wash your hair and take a shower once a month. When leaving base camp to head up the mountain, you can’t even brush your teeth—you can only chew gum.”
Repeated failures didn’t make Zhu Qingzi want to give up. “My dad encouraged me not to quit, saying I must try again. Each failure is one step closer to success. Maybe there’s still something I haven’t overcome, or maybe it’s the encouragement from my hiking friends. So I decided to make a third attempt!”
Third attempt succeeds in summiting, sets record as youngest
At the end of July this year, Zhu Qingzi and her mother once again joined a team to climb Muztagh Ata. This time, they were in the third group. “We first stayed one night at the base camp at 4,300 meters to acclimatize to the high-altitude climate; the next day we went to the C1 camp at 5,000 meters and stayed another night before returning to base camp; on the third day, we climbed to the C2 camp at 6,700 meters and stayed one more night, then returned to base camp again. After that, we went back to Taxkorgan County to rest for three days, waiting for better weather. Generally, you need five consecutive days of good weather to have a chance at reaching the summit.”
One early August morning, Zhu Qingzi, her father, and her mother began their final push to the summit. “The path to 6,700 meters is very long. Every year people climbing Muztagh Ata encounter blizzards, but this year the snow was especially heavy and the drifts the deepest. Every step I took would slide me back two steps. I could see the camp right in front of me, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t reach it.” Zhu Qingzi said that during the climb, they could only move forward one step at a time because the snow was so deep. “The wind was so strong it almost knocked us over. We were walking along the edge of a slope near a crevasse—the crevasses were bottomless. Just as my mom was about to step across a crevasse, her phone suddenly rang. She lost her balance while answering it and nearly fell sideways into the crevasse. Fortunately, I reacted quickly, grabbed the rope, and managed to secure her with an ice axe against the edge of the crevasse to prevent her from falling.”
“At 2 a.m. we began our final push to the summit. It only took us six hours—around 8:39 a.m.—and we finally reached the top. The process usually takes about nine to ten hours.” Zhu Qingzi said happily that at the time, the temperature was -20°C, the summit of Muztagh Ata was as big as ten soccer fields, and you could see many stars at night, even constellations. The most beautiful sight was the Milky Way passing overhead, and even at 3 a.m. you could still see the pink hues of the galaxy. Zhu Qingzi said that this summit attempt made her stronger and more confident, and also gave her a deeper appreciation for nature and life. This experience will become an unforgettable memory in her life’s journey—and perhaps a turning point.