Rescue team brings him 'home'
On January 27, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Fujian tourist Chen Zhi fell off a cliff while climbing the third peak of Siguniang Mountain. At the time, only local guide Yang Mou was climbing with Chen Zhi. During a brief moment when Yang stepped away to relieve himself, Chen Zhi disappeared. Yang estimated that Chen Zhi had been blown off the cliff by strong winds at the summit.
After the accident, the Siguniang Mountain scenic area dispatched six rescue teams totaling 45 people. Around 3 p.m. on the 28th, the search team found a body at an altitude of 4,800 meters near Dengzhilie (phonetic) in Changpinggou. Last night, the body was confirmed to be that of the deceased Chen Zhi. Currently, the victim’s family has arrived from Fujian at the Siguniang Mountain scenic area.
Sudden accident
A scarf falls from the summit
The first to receive news of someone falling from Siguniang Mountain was Ma Yi, deputy director of the Outdoor Activities Management Center of the Siguniang Mountain Administration Bureau. “At 10:55 a.m. on the 27th, a person claiming to be Yang Mou, a villager from Changping Village, Rilong Town, Xiaojin County, called to inform me that a tourist had accidentally been blown off the summit by strong winds while climbing the third peak of Siguniang Mountain, and their survival status was unknown.”
After receiving the call, the Siguniang Mountain Administration Bureau immediately launched a search and rescue operation. Reporters later learned that the caller, Yang Mou, was climbing with a male tourist at the time, who had fallen from near the summit of the third peak.
According to a senior guide who had contact with Yang Mou after he descended, Yang said he was a Siguniang Mountain guide and had taken the tourist from the assault camp to attempt the summit the previous day. “Yang claimed that during the climb to the summit, he turned around to relieve himself, and when he looked back, the tourist he was guiding was gone,” the senior guide revealed. Yang said the winds at the summit were very strong at the time, and he suspected the tourist had fallen down the cliff toward the direction of Yaomei Peak. Another climber from a following expedition recalled seeing a scarf fluttering down from the summit.
Emergency rescue
Six rescue teams deployed in succession
A responsible person from the Siguniang Mountain Administration Bureau explained that the incident site could be roughly confirmed as being very close to the third peak summit. Starting at 11 a.m. the previous day, the Siguniang Mountain detachment of the Provincial Mountain Rescue Corps deployed six rescue teams totaling 45 people. Around 2 p.m. the previous day, the first rescue team found the backpack of the fallen climber at the foot of the third peak, confirming the deceased as Fujian tourist Chen Zhi, 24, from Shaowu City, Fujian Province.
At 3:30 p.m. yesterday, a small team composed of seven rescuers from the second and fourth batches discovered a body in the direction of Dengzhilie (phonetic) in Changpinggou. The Siguniang Mountain Administration Bureau immediately dispatched 10 members to assist. The body was found at an altitude of 4,800 meters, nearly eight hours’ walk from the motor-accessible Lama Temple in Changpinggou within the scenic area.
Latest news
Victim’s body found, suspected to have fallen from 700 meters high
Reporters contacted members of the rescue team last night to learn about the entire search and rescue process. “Last night, at an altitude of 4,700 meters near the third peak, we had already discovered signs of a fall on the mountain,” a rescue team member said. Yesterday morning, a rescue team composed of Xiaojin County Scenic Area Administration staff including Zhang Qiuhua and Zhang Jianjun, local villagers, and mountain rescue team members set out from Changpinggou toward the Dengzhilie (phonetic) area to search.
“We continued searching in the area at an altitude of 4,700 meters, and around 3:30 p.m., we found a blue jacket,” the rescue team member said. Next to the jacket on the snow were some bloodstains. Following the blood trail, the rescue team continued upward and found a body about 10 meters away. “Preliminary judgment on-site indicated that the body had fallen from a height of over 700 meters, which matched the location near the third peak summit where Yang said the accident was discovered,” the member added.
After 4 p.m., the rescue team began transporting the body downhill. Along the way, more team members joined in to help, including Yang Mou, who had been part of the search party. Around 8 p.m., the rescue team brought the body out of the scenic area. After preliminary confirmation by Yang Mou and public security authorities, the deceased was identified as Chen Zhi, a man from Fujian.
His family
Final confirmation to be made today
Chen Zhi’s parents, uncle, and maternal uncle received the news at around 6 p.m. the night before last, and took a flight from Fujian to Chengdu at 8 a.m. yesterday. Chen Zhi’s mother was heartbroken, sobbing uncontrollably when a reporter spoke with her by phone yesterday. She said she was “feeling terrible,” but still expressed gratitude to those who helped in the search.
Chen Zhi’s family also received the news of the body being brought down last night. Due to travel fatigue and altitude sickness, they did not go to the site. “We will go for final confirmation early tomorrow morning,” said Xia, Chen Zhi’s uncle. With this, all six rescue teams totaling 45 people deployed by the Siguniang Mountain Administration Bureau have safely returned, marking the end of the search operation. In addition to the rescue teams’ efforts, the One Foundation Rescue Alliance also provided assistance.
His life
Just received his first paycheck
Xia told reporters that 24-year-old Chen Zhi had just graduated from university last year and had recently passed the civil service exam. Before the Spring Festival, he received his first paycheck. With a few days off for the holiday, Chen Zhi said he wanted to visit Sichuan. On the afternoon of January 22, he took a train from Shunchang, Fujian, to Sichuan, spending New Year’s Eve on the train.
From then until the day before he climbed the mountain, he called his parents every day—sometimes to wish them a Happy New Year, but more often to chat with his mother about his experiences in Chengdu and at Siguniang Mountain. Unexpectedly, at around 6 p.m. the afternoon before last, his family received the news that he had fallen off a cliff.
Xia said Chen Zhi had no professional mountaineering experience, and had only said before leaving home that he wanted to “see the snow mountains.” “After arriving in Sichuan, he called again to say he wanted to climb a snow mountain. His mother was originally very worried, but she felt reassured after he explained that the guide would provide one-on-one service,” Xia said. Chen Zhi studied accounting and was usually meticulous; his family generally trusted his arrangements. Because they are in Fujian, they are not familiar with snow mountains. “I guess Chen Zhi wanted to challenge himself.”
Conversation with those involved
Guide: I stepped away to urinate, and when I turned around he was gone
From the moment the accident happened to the entire rescue process, Yang, one of the involved parties, participated throughout. After descending the mountain, the reporter had a phone conversation with him.
Reporter (hereinafter referred to as "Rep"): How did you and Chen Zhi get up the mountain?
Yang (hereinafter referred to as "Y"): Chen Zhi said he wanted to climb the mountain for sightseeing. Since I was more familiar with the terrain in the mountains, I took him along. We started ascending from the base camp near the summit after 2 a.m., and the accident happened about 300 meters below the peak.
Rep: What exactly happened at the moment of the accident?
Y: I told Chen Zhi I needed to pee, so I turned around. When I turned back, I saw that Chen Zhi had already slipped down.
Rep: What did you do after the accident?
Y: The wind on the mountain was very strong, and I couldn’t see Chen Zhi anymore right away. I immediately reported the incident to the scenic area management bureau and also participated in the rescue. (I helped carry down Chen Zhi’s) body.
Rep: What’s your take on your own rule-breaking behavior?
Y: I haven’t slept much for two days. I just carried the body out of the scenic area, and now I’m very exhausted… (Afterward, Yang hung up the phone)
Reporter Investigation
Climbing without declaration and unlicensed guide
According to the Sichuan Mountaineering Association, Chen Zhi stayed at Yang’s home near the Siguniang Mountain scenic area on January 25 and entered the Changpinggou scenic area on January 26. However, he did not go through any procedures for outdoor activities, nor did he obtain a climbing permit from the Sichuan Mountaineering Association or the Siguniang Mountain scenic area management bureau, and he didn’t even buy an entrance ticket to the scenic area. Upon investigation, Yang, who claimed to be a guide, actually didn’t have a high-altitude collaboration qualification or a guide certification. The two engaged in typical illegal climbing.
According to the head of the Sichuan Mountaineering Association, illegal climbing has become a chronic problem in China’s mountaineering and outdoor sports. Since 2001, accidents caused by illegal climbing have accounted for over 85% of all mountaineering disasters.
Over twenty mountaineering teams, only four declared
During this year’s Spring Festival, only four mountaineering teams declared their climbs to the Siguniang Mountain scenic area. But according to local guides, at least 20 teams were engaging in climbing activities in the area, with illegal climbs accounting for over 80%. The situation of unauthorized climbing is very serious.
Currently, there are no fully appropriate legal provisions for outdoor sports. Although in 2010, the Chinese Mountaineering Association issued the “Management Measures for Mountaineering and Outdoor Sports Clubs of the Chinese Mountaineering Association,” these mainly focus on “service and guidance” to regulate mountaineering and outdoor sports behavior. From a management perspective, they are still not comprehensive or standardized enough.
The unauthorized crossing incident involving hikers in the Siguniang Mountains in October 2011 promoted the development and introduction of relevant laws and regulations in Sichuan Province. The deputy secretary-general of the provincial mountaineering association introduced that the association has begun revising the “Mountaineering Management Measures.” This includes penalties for unauthorized climbing and hiking violations. The revised “Mountaineering Management Measures” have been submitted to the provincial sports bureau, and new clauses are expected to be introduced soon.
Editor’s Postscript
Mountaineering: Reject Emotional Impulsiveness
Just three months later, I am once again facing an article about a mountaineering accident in the Siguniang Mountains. Last time, 14 hikers who illegally crossed the area were lucky to escape. But this time, luck did not strike again—a young man who had just received his first paycheck in life left us forever.
I think that besides the need for gradual improvements in the system, as a niche, high-risk, and special sport, mountaineering relies more on the self-discipline of hikers. Compared to nature, humans will always be small. Amidst vast mountains and valleys, rules mostly serve as post-event sanctions. Therefore, mountaineering enthusiasts must take responsibility for themselves.
To foster such self-discipline, I believe we need to correct our “mountaineering culture.” In report after report of accidents, what I sense more is the “spirit of adventure” and “individual heroism” among mountaineers. Emotional impulsiveness drives their recklessness. I don’t deny that a spirit of adventure is an essential element of outdoor sports, but I think such emotion should be wrapped in a rational and healthy mountaineering ethos.
Chen Zhi, the victim of the accident, harbored a dream of “seeing the snow mountains.” He bought climbing gear on a whim before the trip and set off for the Siguniang Mountains. To him, climbing a 5,000-meter-high mountain seemed no different from visiting the Du Fu Thatched Cottage.
Faced with frequent safety incidents, the Siguniang Mountain management built a 500-meter-long steel fence costing 200,000 yuan in the section from 4,800 meters above sea level up to near the summit. Some climbers say the fence looks like a bloody scar carved on the face of a beautiful maiden. But I think the frequent victims of unauthorized climbs are more like drops of blood and tears left behind by the Siguniang Mountains. Only if each of us holds a heart of reverence for the snow mountains and for life will we keep the Siguniang Mountains from shedding more tears.
A Review of Recent Mountaineering Disasters in Siguniang Mountains
● In September 2008, senior editor Xian Wenmin from Sohu’s outdoor channel and local high-altitude guide Luo Zhongrong died on Camel Peak.
● In June 2009, Li Hongxue, a professional Chinese mountaineering guide and ice climbing coach, went missing after entering Changpinggou in the Siguniang Mountains.
● In July 2009, an 11-person mountaineering team encountered falling rocks while climbing Camel Peak, resulting in the death of a high-altitude support staff member.
● In October 2009, four Russian tourists encountered an avalanche in the Siguniang Mountains, with two being buried.
● In August 2010, a Japanese tourist was hit by falling rocks while rock climbing at Wild Man Peak in Shuangqiaogou, Siguniang Mountains.
●In October 2011, 14 hikers lost contact for as long as 13 days while trekking through Mount Siguniang.