The struggle to stand on top of the world

First summit of Qomolangma's north slope still carries weight 65 years on

By Li Peixuan | China Daily | Updated: 2025-05-26 08:51
Share
Share - WeChat
Snow peaks can be seen below mountaineers as they climb up the northern slope of Qomolangma. [Photo/Xinhua]

Overcoming setbacks

To explore the northern route of Mount Qomolangma, China conducted three acclimatization expeditions starting in March 1960.

The first reached an altitude of 6,800 meters before encountering an impassable ice wall. The second reached over 7,200 meters but was halted by strong winds. The third reached over 8,600 meters but was forced to retreat due to severe frostbite and casualties, Yuan said.

These expeditions helped the team map the climbing route, establish camps and transport supplies, and accumulate crucial experience for their fourth summit attempt.

At 4:20 am on May 25, during the fourth expedition, Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo and Qu Yinhua — oxygen-depleted, fingers blackened by frostbite — summited in darkness, planting a Chinese national flag and leaving the footprints of the Chinese people atop the world's highest peak for the first time, Yuan said.

After descending, team members recounted the summit experience: when they reached the top of the visible rock, they mistakenly believed they had reached the summit and were overjoyed, according to Yuan.

However, as they looked west, a snow slope several meters higher appeared. Crossing it, they found themselves on a conical summit surrounded by endless white snow, with no higher ground visible — confirming they had reached Qomolangma's true peak, Yuan said.

Climbers today follow the same path, also needing to scale that rock before seeing the snow slope and reaching the summit.

Thus, even though no video footage of their summit was recorded due to nighttime conditions and camera issues, their detailed recollections proved the successful ascent and silenced skeptics, according to Yuan.

Thanks to the feat achieved by the Chinese mountaineering team, the boundary treaty between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Nepal — where the southern slope of the peak lies — was officially signed in 1961, resolving the historical boundary issues between the two countries, according to Xinhua News Agency.

As Gonpo later reflected: "We carried the nation's hopes on our backs. Even if only one of us remained, we would fight to the end and reach the summit."

Six decades on, their journey remains a testament to resilience and the unyielding spirit that lifts humanity to impossible heights.

|<< Previous 1 2 3   
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 日出水了特别黄的视频| 日本免费一区二区在线观看| 欧美成a人免费观看| 国产猛男猛女超爽免费视频| 久久久久亚洲精品无码蜜桃| 波多野结衣同性| 国产一在线精品一区在线观看 | 成人国产欧美精品一区二区| 免费不卡在线观看av| 3p视频在线观看| 成人中文字幕在线| 久草资源福利站| 水蜜桃视频在线观看免费| 国产成人精品1024在线| Av鲁丝一区鲁丝二区鲁丝三区| 朝鲜女人大白屁股ASS孕交| 国产99久9在线视频| 四虎国产永久免费久久| 天堂在线免费观看中文版| 亚1州区2区三区4区产品| 特级毛片a级毛片免费播放| 国产成人综合欧美精品久久| 中文字幕亚洲欧美日韩不卡| 波多洁野衣一二区三区| 国产性生大片免费观看性| 97久人人做人人妻人人玩精品| 日本高清免费网站| 免费看的成人yellow视频| jizz国产精品jizz中国| 成人国产永久福利看片| 久久经典免费视频| 男女免费观看在线爽爽爽视频 | 国产成人综合久久精品下载| 99热精品国产三级在线观看| 影音先锋亚洲资源| 亚洲国产AV一区二区三区四区| 百合潮湿的欲望| 国产精品jizz在线观看老狼| 下面一进一出好爽视频| 欧美人成网站免费大全| 十九岁日本电影免费完整版观看|