First blind Chinese climber conquers Mount Qomolangma

The documentary "Invisible Summit" was released earlier this year, telling the epic story of how Zhang Hong became the first blind man in China to summit Mount Qomolangma, the world’s tallest mountain, at the age of 46.

Zhang, who was born in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, heard about Eric Weihenmayer, a blind American climber, who scaled Mount Qomolangma, during a casual chat with a well-known climber in 2015. Back then, Zhang was 40 and had lost his sight due to illness 20 years earlier.

Photo shows Zhang Hong and his wife Xia Qiong. (Photo/Li Congchong)

Upon learning that no blind Chinese person had ever scaled Mount Qomolangma, Zhang was determined to become the first.

During that time, he worked at a hospital in Lhasa, the capital of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. The idea sounded ludicrous, even to Zhang himself, because he had no prior experience in extreme sports.

With support from his wife, Zhang began climbing the equivalent of over 200 storeys of stairs in his apartment building every day.

He was exhausted from the monotonous training. Besides, some people harbored doubts about his dream of scaling Mount Qomolangma. Zhang also doubted his abilities during that time and knew that he wouldn't be able to afford the fees to climb the peak. However, he continued to prepare for an opportunity.

During the National Day holiday that year, Zhang climbed a peak of more than 5,000 meters in Xizang. "Standing at the peak, I felt reborn. I believed that mountaineering brought strength to my life," Zhang said.

The climbing experience further inspired Zhang to become the first Chinese blind man to scale Mount Qomolangma. He subsequently scaled several peaks that were more than 6,000 meters high in pursuit of his ambitious goal.

"I had always thought that Mount Qomolangma was an invisible summit and remained a far horizon for me. But after I conquered these peaks, especially when I climbed Mount Muztagata, which is more than 7,500 meters in height, I felt that I would realize my Qomolangma dream," Zhang said.

In 2021, Zhang traveled to the Mount Qomolangma base camp and found that the weather conditions there were adverse. Mount Qomolangma didn't show mercy due to his visual impairment.

He spent more than a month at base camp preparing for the final ascent, during which he practiced mountaineering skills and learned how to use devices.

"The only thought in my mind was that I didn't need to think about how far I still had to go. I just needed to keep moving forward. Every additional step would bring me one step closer to my goal," Zhang said.

"I can't see the world, but I want the world to see me," Zhang added.

On May 19, 2021, Zhang and his team, accompanied by three Sherpa guides, commenced their ascent. While navigating through glaciers, it often took Zhang several minutes, and sometimes even over 10 minutes, to cross an ice crack. In contrast, a mountaineer without a visual impairment could easily stride across. Confronted with challenges such as glaciers, cliffs, blizzards, extreme cold, and hypoxia, Zhang had to rely solely on his guides' verbal descriptions.

Four days later, they arrived at the fourth camp, situated at an altitude of 8,000 meters, which marked their final camp before reaching the summit.

However, at this point, Zhang's team faced oxygen depletion. It became apparent that someone would need to descend to ensure the safety of the remaining team members on their journey to the summit.

"When I learned that someone on my team, including my Chinese guide, would give up the ascent, I felt the urge to quit as well. I was unsure about communicating with the Sherpa guides since I could only understand a few English words like 'go,' 'up,' and 'stop,'" Zhang said.

"My Chinese guide encouraged me," Zhang added, mentioning that the guide persuaded him that this might be his only opportunity of a lifetime to reach the summit of Mount Qomolangma.

Zhang achieved his dream by reaching the summit on May 24, 2021. Without taking much time to savor the moment, Zhang and the Sherpa guides promptly began their descent to avoid potential dangers. They arrived back at Mount Qomolangma base camp three days later.

Zhang considers himself fortunate to have reached the summit of the world's tallest mountain. It took Xia Boyu, another climber from Chongqing, more than four decades to scale Mount Qomolangma. Xia holds the distinction of being the first Chinese double-amputee climber to reach the summit of the world's highest peak.

For Zhang, mountain climbing has been transformative. He plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, during the upcoming Spring Festival.

Zhang also expressed his intention to participate in more charity projects and assist people with disabilities in every possible way.

"I hope the documentary 'Invisible Summit' can bring more strength to viewers and encourage everyone to bravely strive for a more wonderful life," Zhang added.