On May 26, taking advantage of the weekend, seven hikers spontaneously organized a trip to Mao Ren Temple near Zhencheng Village in Jiancaoping District, the provincial capital. Unexpectedly, they got lost on their way back. As it got darker, they quickly called for help.
The Shanxi Red Cross Blue Sky Rescue Team immediately dispatched personnel upon receiving the call and eventually found the lost hikers after five hours of searching.
Rescue call received at night, 17 team members quickly assembled
At around 9:00 p.m. on the 26th, Lu Mei, secretary-general of the Shanxi Red Cross Blue Sky Rescue Team, received a distress call from a friend reporting that people were lost at Mao Ren Temple and needed rescue. After confirming the information, Lu Mei acted immediately, calling team members and arranging a meeting point. At 10:15 p.m., three rescue vehicles carrying nine rescuers headed to Mao Ren Temple. By 10:45 p.m., a second group of rescuers had also assembled, and by around 11:00 p.m., 17 rescuers gathered at the foot of the mountain behind North University of China. The team split into three groups: two rescue teams urgently headed up the mountain toward Mao Ren Temple, while another group set up a temporary command post and assigned personnel to monitor radio communications from higher ground to ensure smooth contact.
Mao Ren Temple is located in Mao Ren Mountain, about 20 kilometers northwest of Taiyuan. On their way to the temple, rescuers kept in phone contact with the lost hikers to determine their location.
Mobile phones and flashlights help locate lost hikers overnight
“Anyone there?” “Where are you?” Inside the mountain, the rescuers’ calls echoed through the night. Finally, at 12:49 a.m. on the 26th, the rescuers spotted a faint light. Following the direction of the light, they called out to the source. Soon, they received a reply from the direction of the light. Tracing the sound, at around 2:00 a.m., the first rescue team found the seven lost hikers.
Team leader Li Yan told reporters that there are two routes down from Mao Ren Temple, but they both eventually converge. After arriving at the temple, they found the stranded hikers about 200 meters away from a “cliff” not far from the temple. Due to dense vegetation one to three meters high, the rescuers had to push through plants as they advanced, eventually locating the seven hikers—two men and five women. In the quiet of the night and the cold, the group had huddled together.
Li Yan said it was fortunate the hikers had good mobile phone signal where they got lost, which helped them stay in contact. Additionally, one of them had a flashlight. Thanks to this, the rescuers were able to locate the lost hikers by following the light and sound.
The lost hikers told Li Yan that while descending, the path suddenly ended. Just as they were about to retrace their steps, they may have mistakenly headed slightly south, and the further they went, the fewer paths they found. After climbing over about four hilltops with no success in finding a way down, and with nightfall approaching, they had no choice but to call for help.
On the way down, the second rescue team brought food and water, and even took off their own clothes to help the lost hikers warm up.
When they returned to the base of the mountain, local police officers who had been alerted by the hikers’ families also arrived at the scene and joined the rescue operation.
Lack of outdoor experience – hikers should bring proper gear
Lu Mei, secretary-general of the Shanxi Red Cross Blue Sky Rescue Team, told reporters that aside from mobile phones, the lost hikers only had one flashlight among them, and they lacked outdoor experience. Lu Mei said that the routes to Mao Ren Temple are relatively familiar to them—they organize trips there every year, and they’ve placed route markers at the temple to provide information for visitors, as well as leave the rescue team’s contact information.
Regarding this, Lu Mei also offered advice for those planning outdoor trips: First, understand something about your leader and the group you’re with—try not to venture out with strangers, and don’t overly rely on the leader’s abilities. Research the route you’ll be taking and prepare for self-rescue. Second, always back up and have someone reliable keep a copy of your planned route and leader’s contact information. After calling for help, inform the rescue team and police of this contact person—or ask that person to call for help. Avoid straying too far from your planned route, and if you do explore beyond it, set up markers along the way to help you find your way back. Third, prioritize gear that provides warmth and waterproofing, and bring emergency lighting. Carry extra food and water for at least one additional day.
If you get lost in the wild, select the most experienced person as an emergency contact. Keep one or two mobile phones available for external communication, set other phones to forward calls and turn them off, then turn them on for 5–10 minutes at regular intervals to receive messages. Assign two physically capable individuals to search for nearby landmarks and call for rescue and dial 110. Encourage and comfort each other, and try to avoid blaming or complaining.