History will not forget that in the early 1960s, when the country was going through its toughest times, Chinese mountaineers accomplished the historic feat of the first human ascent of Everest from the north side, providing tremendous spiritual inspiration and motivation to the Chinese people who were struggling against adversity.
The sports world will not forget that during the entire decade of the 1960s, when Chinese sports had little to boast about, the brave Chinese mountaineers painted a bold red mark on China’s sporting history, endowing Chinese sports with a tenacious and indomitable character.
The snow-capped mountains will not forget how Chinese mountaineers, through repeated encounters with towering peaks, elevated the harmony between humans and nature to new heights. Through mountaineering, humans and nature collided, grew familiar, and drew closer, becoming both respected adversaries and eternal friends.
On May 25, 1960, the Chinese mountaineering team, represented by Wang Fuzhou, Gongbu, and Qu Yinhua, reached the summit of the world's highest peak — Mount Everest. This marked the first time Chinese people stood atop the roof of the world and the first time humans summited Everest from the north side, ushering in a new era for modern Chinese mountaineering and even Chinese sports.
Over the past half-century, generations of heroic Chinese mountaineers have scaled the rooftop of the world and numerous snowy peaks time and again, forging immortal monuments with their lives, willpower, conviction, and courage.
Fifty years of Chinese mountaineering history is a contemporary chronicle of the Chinese people challenging fate, never giving up, believing in themselves, and seeing national strength grow steadily. Over these 50 years, there are countless touching stories left behind on high mountain ridges. Xinhua News Agency has reported on, participated in, and witnessed these glorious moments without interruption for 50 years. Here we select nine touching moments to commemorate and honor the brave Chinese mountaineers.
This is June 7, 1960. Chinese mountaineers (from right) Wang Fuzhou, Gongbu (Tibetan), and Qu Yinhua are warmly welcomed by people of all ethnic groups upon their triumphant return to Lhasa. Xinhua News Agency
In 1975, during a bleak period for both China’s economy and sports, Chinese mountaineers once again reached the rooftop of the world, using facts to respond to doubts from some foreign media about the 1960 Chinese Everest summit. After deputy political commissar Wu Zongyue fell to his death during the climb, with many others injured or ill, the mountaineers were not defeated by setbacks. Seizing the opportunity, they successfully summited. Pan Duo became the first woman in the world to summit Everest from the north side. The Chinese people’s second successful ascent brought immense inspiration to the nation. This is May 27, 1975, when Chinese athletes Suonanluobu, Luo Ze, Hou Shengfu, Sangzhu, Dapingcuo, Gonggarbasang, Ciren Duoji, Abuyin, and Pan Duo summited Everest from the north side. Xinhua News Agency
In 1988, a joint mountaineering team from China, Japan, and Nepal was formed. Climbers from the three countries successfully traversed Everest from both the south and north sides, achieving a groundbreaking feat in the history of world mountaineering. This is May 31, 1988. Chinese members of the joint Sino-Japanese-Nepalese mountaineering team (from left to right) — Ciren Duoji, Renqing Pingcuo, Daciren, and Li Zhixin — return victoriously from the summit and are warmly welcomed by the people of the capital. Xinhua News Agency
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, senior leaders from both countries jointly initiated the campaign to climb Mount Namcha Barwa, the largest-scale joint Sino-Japanese mountaineering effort at the time. This is October 30, 1992, at 12:09 pm, when members of Team A of the Sino-Japanese joint mountaineering team successfully summit Mount Namcha Barwa. Tibetan team member Bianba Zaxi excitedly raises the national flag above Namcha Barwa. Xinhua News Agency