Young painter Sun Yiquan last year carried a banner promoting the 12th National Games to the summit of Tibet’s Nyenchen Kangsang Peak, which stands at an altitude of 7,206 meters. Earlier this year, Sun was appointed as the Image Ambassador for Mass Fitness in Shenyang. Now he has taken on a new role — President of the Shenyang Mountaineering Association. As a pioneer of mountaineering in Shenyang, Sun Yiquan stated that he will provide Shenyang’s mountaineering enthusiasts with more safe and professional guidance, and while developing the sport, better promote mass fitness.
Shenyang’s Mountaineering Enthusiasts Now Have an Organization
As a mountaineering enthusiast, Sun Yiquan has summited Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as Tibet’s Tanggula’angqu Peak, Qizhi Peak, and Nyenchen Kangsang Peak in recent years. Through these climbing experiences, Sun learned that many cities have their own mountaineering associations, but Shenyang had no such organization in the field. “In fact, there are plenty of mountaineering enthusiasts in the Northeast region, including our Shenyang. Over the years during my climbs, I’ve met some fellow enthusiasts from Shenyang, and during our exchanges, they all expressed the hope that Shenyang would have its own organization for climbers,” said Sun Yiquan.
Recently, the Shenyang Mountaineering Association was officially established, fulfilling the wish of Shenyang’s mountaineering enthusiasts. Sun Yiquan stated: “We hope to harness everyone’s strength to help make mountaineering flourish in Shenyang.”
Providing Scientific Mountaineering Guidance for Everyone
As President of the Shenyang Mountaineering Association, Sun Yiquan said that the most important task of the association is to provide guidance to mountaineers, ensuring their activities are safer. “Under the organization of the Mountaineering Association, the Shenyang Mountaineering Team will represent the city in domestic and international mountaineering exchange events in the future, showcasing the spirit of Shenyang’s climbing community. Of course, much of our work will focus on the safety of enthusiasts. There are certain risks in mountaineering, and in recent years we’ve heard occasional stories of hikers encountering danger. But in reality, the majority of problems arise because participants lack basic knowledge about the sport, don’t know how to protect themselves, or are not adequately prepared. With more professional and systematic mountaineering knowledge, many issues can be avoided. Going forward, we aim to provide proper guidance for Shenyang’s climbing community.”
Bringing the Public Closer to Nature
In Sun Yiquan’s view, developing mountaineering in Shenyang is not the ultimate goal — the greater significance lies in encouraging the public to engage in fitness through the process.
“Mountaineering is a way to exercise and stay fit. But when people think of mountaineering, they often imagine scaling peaks thousands of meters high. For more professional climbers, such peaks are indeed more challenging, but for the majority of enthusiasts, climbing regular mountains can serve as a daily fitness activity. Hiking uphill is a healthy sport that benefits both body and mind. In ancient China, there was a custom of climbing heights during the Double Ninth Festival, which is also known as the Height Ascending Festival, showing that mountaineering has deep and longstanding roots in Chinese culture. Compared to walking, climbing is more challenging and brings you closer to nature. The fresh mountain air is like a natural oxygen bar. And we are blessed with a great environment — right here in Shenyang, we have the scenic Qipanshan Mountain, and nearby cities also have several well-known peaks. During the climb, people can get close to nature, improving their physical health while also lifting their spirits. In the future, we will also organize some easy-going outdoor hiking activities, taking everyone into the mountains and adding new content to Shenyang’s mass fitness initiatives,” said Sun Yiquan.
