We’ve heard many similar stories about climbing—some touching, some profound in their spiritual meaning. The climbing stories in "Summit" are not isolated incidents about individuals but a collective history: woven from many people, many events, many moving moments, and many reflective insights shining with the light of the human spirit. Like a brilliant lightning bolt, it cuts through the numb corners of our hearts.
The author of "Summit" is Zhang Jian, the only accompanying journalist for both the Sino-Japanese joint mountaineering team’s ascent of Mount Nanjagbarwa and the cross-strait joint mountaineering team’s climb of Mount Everest. This is his heartfelt work, a true record of the behind-the-scenes stories of those two expeditions. Thus, a long-sealed chapter of history—the journeys to scale the world’s highest peaks above 7,000 meters, the band of climbing heroes who challenged the limits of human endurance in the snowy plateau, the forbidden zone of life—washes over my soul like a pool of sacred water accumulated for millennia atop the snowy peak.
Simply put, "Summit" is a documentary work that unveils the lesser-known stories behind the sport of mountaineering. The book is divided into two parts: the first part tells the story of the failed "Dream of Nanjagbarwa," while the second recounts the arduous yet triumphant "Soul of Everest." The former highlights the valor of rising from setbacks and forging ahead despite failure; the latter extols the spirit of perseverance, where lives are carried forward and warriors find hope in despair. Especially through the vivid and nuanced portrayal of figures such as Zeng Shusheng, Wang Yongfeng, Chen Jianjun, Dawa, Wang Fengtong, Shi Zhanchun, Luo Shen, Qun Yang, Yu Liangpu, Taiwanese climbers, Japanese climbers, athletes and journalists who gave their lives to the cause of climbing, and the yak herders who contributed silently behind the scenes—the book brings to life a heroic collective of China’s mountaineering history. With a gripping narrative, well-paced rhythm, the book immerses readers deeply in its emotional highs and lows, evoking sorrow, joy, epiphanies, and contemplation… The raw truth of these events is far more compelling, moving, readable, and heart-stirring than any fabricated tale.
Throughout "Summit," values such as kindness, purity, courage, wisdom, and human camaraderie shine through—universal ideals that humanity forever pursues. The author reflects: “Many people complain that society offers them too little understanding and warmth, yet they themselves are unwilling to give even a little in return to society or others. Isn’t that a vicious cycle? What worries me more is that some youths, living too comfortably, increasingly focus on enjoyment while lacking essential qualities. Traits like character, generosity, self-confidence, faith, and ideals seem to matter less than pleasure.” He feels a deep sense of responsibility: “We can’t always blame the children—they’re too young—but what about society? What should society do? … So, I believe my biggest responsibility right now is to introduce real mountaineers to people. Mountaineers offer so much to our society and to our lives.” Thus, "Summit" invites us to reflect from multiple perspectives.
It is also a book that champions collaboration, ignites dreams, and stirs the fighting spirit. “Success is glorious; failure is equally glorious. In a sense, life is a series of failures. The joy of success is fleeting, quickly giving way to another challenge, another failure. Those who rise from failure are invincible.” By recounting the true stories of mountaineers who endure untold hardships to reach the summit of hope, "Summit" reveals the perseverance, courage, open-mindedness, teamwork, gratitude, boldness, and spirit of sacrifice essential to achieving success—offering readers moments of insight as they read.
"Summit" strives to guide contemporary men back to being responsible, open-hearted, and goal-oriented. “Nobility, truth, purity, transparency, kindness, bravery, and resilience are the oxygen and water of our lives. Without them, we lose our vitality. With them, life gains meaning, bursting with endless vigor and joy. Our minds grow infinitely broad; our future, radiant and beautiful. Look at Everest—her embrace spans the entire world.” “When you’re out in the world, you may face all kinds of difficulties, so you can’t think only of yourself—you must also consider others.” “True mountaineers aren’t those who demand love from others but give nothing in return.” “What do worldly conflicts, fame, profit, and worries really amount to? Isn’t living a genuine, transparent life the greatest happiness?” Such reflections flow like mountain springs, nourishing the desert of the human heart quietly and naturally. For those chasing selfish gains or lacking strength of character, this book holds special meaning.
An individual’s history is a chronicle of inner growth; a group’s history is a saga of a nation’s indomitable progress. "Summit" depicts precisely such a journey—a collective challenge against the limits of life, a return to the raw beauty of nature, a performance of human compassion, and a convergence of ideals and beliefs. It is a chronicle of inner growth, and even more so, an epic of the human spirit that offers warmth and strength to an individual, a group, or even an entire nation.