"Either I'm on the wall, or I'm on my way to the wall." That's what one rock climbing enthusiast wrote on the homepage of their blog. "Every nerve is tethered to the rock; every thought hangs on the cliff face." Some climbers have even adopted this as their personal motto. As fervently as others are obsessed with rock music or idol singers, as devotedly as others love travel or flying, rock climbing boasts its fair share of passionate followers.
Deng Bei is one of those devoted followers.
Falling in Love with Rock Climbing at First Sight
Six years ago, when Deng Bei was rushing to meet a client with a stack of materials, she had no idea that this ordinary business meeting would spark a lifelong connection with rock climbing.
A pile of rope product samples in the client’s office piqued Deng Bei’s curiosity. After being introduced by the client’s representative, she learned that these tools were used for rock climbing. It was her first time seeing rock climbing gear and hearing the term, and her naturally active personality ignited a strong desire to explore this newly discovered extreme sport.
At the client’s invitation, a few days later, Deng Bei joined one of their rock climbing events. There, she experienced the thrill of climbing, the joy of conquest, and the pleasure of challenge—and from then on, she was hooked. As one rock climbing enthusiast wrote on their blog: "Either I'm on the wall, or I'm on my way to the wall."
Rock climbing now takes up most of Deng Bei’s time outside of work. She told reporters, "I basically go to the climbing gym every other day now—I’m almost more frequent than the national climbing team athletes." On weekends, she also heads to the natural rock faces in the suburbs of Beijing with her fellow "climbing comrades." In recent years, it’s become an unwritten tradition to spend golden week holidays like May Day and National Day climbing in Thailand with her fellow enthusiasts.
Her Social Circle Is Her Climbing Circle
Having been into rock climbing for six years now, Deng Bei speaks passionately about her hobby. She still keeps in touch with her first climbing coach, who back then introduced her to the sport but has since switched careers to selling climbing gear—which Deng Bei doesn’t really see as a career change.
Deng Bei told us, "My current social circle is basically made up of friends I’ve met through rock climbing." The people she climbs with come from all walks of life—advertising, film and TV screenwriting, IT companies, civil servants, and even foreign ambassadors. "If it weren’t for rock climbing, we probably never would’ve met." To Deng Bei, it’s rock climbing that gave her such a diverse circle of friends.
According to Deng Bei’s "friendship philosophy," friends made through rock climbing feel completely different from those made at work. Work friends mostly collaborate professionally and are tied by monetary interests. Once you leave that specific work environment, your private relationship tends to be quite casual. That’s why very few of her closest friends are colleagues from the same company. But the climbing circle is different—everyone comes together purely out of shared passion, creating a bond reminiscent of noble friendships. While enjoying climbing together, they exchange techniques, share insights, and help each other improve through communication and practice.
Deng Bei said, "More importantly, climbing requires mutual cooperation among friends. For example, during a climb, you need someone to belay you. Choosing who to trust with your safety means literally putting your life in their hands. So, you’ll only trust someone with your life if you truly trust them—it’s a bond of life and death, a level of trust you just don’t find in the workplace."
Rock Climbing Is Like Work and Life
Over the past six years of climbing, Deng Bei has rarely been injured—though minor muscle strains and skin scrapes are inevitable. But compared to the joy of climbing, those small injuries are negligible. From her experience, climbing is just like work and life: it’s a continuous process of overcoming challenges and conquering obstacles. The thrill of completing a climbing route is the same as nailing a project at work. Moreover, success in climbing can relieve work-related stress and boost confidence, which in turn greatly benefits her professional life.
Coach Zhao Lei explained that rock climbing isn’t just a physical workout. Like other extreme sports, it helps build perseverance, endurance, courage, and self-confidence through the climbing process. It’s also a great way to relieve work pressure and relax. Cui Jian often takes his wife and kids to the climbing gym, and he even encourages his children to take up the sport. Singer Lao Lang is another avid climber, having participated in multiple climbing events hosted by the China Mountaineering Association. He’s scaled the "Alps of the East"—Mount Siguniang—and even picked up trash at the 5,200-meter Everest Base Camp.