Outdoor sports are booming, with crowds flocking to off-the-beaten-path destinations, but regrettably, every year, some “travel enthusiasts” lose their lives…
Many are no longer keen on squeezing into tourist hotspots to jostle with the crowds, and have instead opted for trekking and hiking. Self-guided tours with a certain degree of adventure are becoming a new trend. Yet, the accident rate for various self-guided expeditions remains high
In Shangri-La, Yunnan, a tour bus plunged off a cliff, with victims including students from Tsinghua and Peking Universities. In Xinjiang, 31 outdoor enthusiasts encountered a snowstorm while crossing the Chezhi Gully, fortunately being rescued three days after going missing. Meanwhile, in the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia, several exploration teams ran into trouble, and one woman tragically died of heatstroke… When adventure becomes a trend, must we face such tragic losses? Years ago, the death of a Peking University student during a mountain climbing expedition caused an uproar in public opinion. But now, these young lives lost seem unable to stir the same level of outcry. Have we become too accustomed to it?
We once reflected that the Chinese character seemed to lack a sense of adventure. This situation has improved in recent years, and there’s even been a rush to embrace it—like driving cars to fly over the Yellow River or even the Great Wall, where the significance was often exaggerated, claiming that only by doing it before Westerners could China hold its head high. The Yellow River and the Great Wall are symbols of our motherland, but no one ever really questioned why flying over one’s mother would be an act of love.
From this perspective, those young people who aspire to explore the depths of the desert or the peaks of mountains deserve more praise. They don’t make sensational statements; they simply choose to temporarily drift away from the city to enrich their lives and get closer to and understand nature. Such experiences, while thrilling, will surely give them a deeper understanding of life and the nation’s realities than ordinary daily life could offer.
But sacrifices can still be largely avoided.
These exploration teams are often loosely formed—sometimes just a call to action online gathers a crowd. So-called pre-expedition preparation usually amounts to nothing more than looking up information online. Not only do they lack routine outdoor activity and risk-avoidance training, but they’re also poorly prepared in terms of food and water.
Imagine a white-collar worker used to air-conditioned offices and purified water, or a young person from the internet era raised under doting parental care—how could they possibly cope when suddenly faced with harsh ecological environments and disaster-level weather without professional guidance or training?
Therefore, having only the courage for adventure is far from enough. One must also possess a scientific mindset to face risks, resist dangers, and the survival skills to escape them.
Lacking a scientific approach is also true of our social service system. Although adventure has become a trend, it’s hard to find professional institutions that cater to explorers. For example, China’s mountaineering skills are not low, but there are very few organizations that provide weather consultations, professional training, and guidance for ordinary mountaineering enthusiasts. In neighboring Japan, mountaineering has almost become an industry, with a highly developed service chain and mountain associations in every prefecture.
Although struggle may inevitably bring sacrifice, we must strive to avoid needless loss.
May all explorers and volunteers stay safe on their journeys !
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