——to honor mountaineer Boyu Xia
By Tongchang Zong
This July, I joined the Zhang Zhung Culture Seminar at Ali, Tibet. I drove over the Kunlun Mountains, Tanggula Mountains, and Kailas Range, and then arrived at Shiquanhe Town in Ali which is located on the upstream area of Indus. After the seminar, I drove east along the Himalaya Mountains and drove over Nyenchenthanglha Mountains and BaYanKaLa Mountains. I drove over these famous mountains on the planet, but I was thinking about the article which is about Boyu Xia climbing to the crest of the Everest Mountain. I was swamped every day, I didn’t even have enough time to sleep, and my body was suffering from altitude sickness, but my head was full of stories between people and mountains. I didn’t anticipate that I would write these words in Zizhu Temple which is located in northern Tibet and 4,800 meters above sea-level.
Mr. Boyu Xia’s legs were amputated due to frostbite because he gave his sleeping bag to a teammate who’s sleeping bag had lost. Climbing to the crest of the Everest had been his dream and wish which didn’t change though he lost his legs. He had insisted on physical training for forty years for his dream and failed four times. But he had insisted and hadn’t given up. This year’s May fourteenth, at 10:41 a.m, no-leg-worrier Boyu Xia who was sixty-nine years old had finally climbed to the top of the Everest and that had been his fifth attempt. His face and hands had suffered severe frostbite.
Mr. Boyu Xia and I are the same age. I care a lot about this climbing because he said, “ whether I succeed or not, this is going to be my last time to climb the Everest.” This climbing had drawn many medias’ attention. I had gone to Katmandu, Nepal and given him food which could regulate gastrointestinal function During Boyu Xia’s training and climbing, mountaineer Maizi, Maizi’s father and I hiked the EBC route to the climbing home base on the southern slope of the Everest to cheer him up and support him. EBC is the hardest one among the top ten hiking route of the world. We needed to climb across many passes which are 5,200 meters above sea level. The highest one is 5,600 meters above sea level.
Hiking this route was a challenge to me as well. It was challenging, then I thought that I was in the same age as Boyu Xia and I was there to support him, I needed to use action to express that insistence is the victory. If I could arrive at the home base, then Boyu Xia would succeed. I used this to encourage myself, and I reached the destination. On the last day of hiking EBC, we passed by the Everest cemetery. A lot of famous mountaineers and Sherpa mountain guides are buried here and there are their monuments. It made me feel deeply about how hard it is to climb and their life’s sacrifices are very precious. Maizi knelt in front of the monuments of these Chinese worriers for a long time. Maizi is a very good mountaineer and the lead of the Chineses Civilian Female Climbing Team. She climbed to the crest of the Everest once. During the earthquake in Nepal, the home base on the southern slope of the Everest was buried by the snow which had broken four ribs of hers. She is still active in mountain climbing and organizing mountain climbing.
Mr. Boyu Xia was already heading to the crest of the mountain officially when we arrived at the home base of the Everest Mountain. I talked to Mr. Boyu Xia through a walkie-talkie and wished him that his climbing would go the next day successfully. Mr. Boyu Xia’s climbing was a huge success after climbing courageously for seven days. The hardness was indescribable and I am truly happy for him. I welcomed Boyu Xia at Katmandu when he returned with success. I was there when the ambassador of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal and media such as BBC interviewed Boyu Xia too. He said goodbye to everyone while facing the direction of the Everest Mountain in front of the plane at the Katmandu airport before he left Nepal. The eyes of this mountain climbing hero were watery. He had sacrificed too much to achieve his dream and he accomplished his lifelong dream perfectly.
I stayed in the mountains every day recently, but I still can not explain and define mountain and mountain climbing. Somebody asked George Mallory who was a British mountaineer, why he wanted to climb the Everest Mountain and his answer was that because the mountain was there. He seemed answered the question and seemed not. I think there is the mountain, so there is climbing. Climbing is a fighting power which is positive and forward. There were many questions about the meaning of climbing, and Boyu Xia’s answer was simple——insistence. This reminds me of an event which shocked my soul the most. Last August, Boyu Xia and I walked on Tengger Desert together, we lived and ate together for over ten days, and we slept in the same dorm too. What surprised me was giant Boyu Xia who was almost six feet tall with artificial limbs and moves fluently became a small man when he removed artificial limbs and walked with his knees in the dorm. But his was still methodical and unruffled when he showered and exercised. His smile was the same, I could say that I was really shocked.
Insistent is a spirit, a power and the only means to an end. The other way of describing unfinished wished are fall short of success for lack of a final effort, with one's lofty aspirations unrealized and the last leg of a journey marks the halfway point. Once I felt it when I was lying silently in a sleeping bag at the south slope of the Everest Mountain. The night was remarkably silent there, I could hear the snoring sound of the members who were preparing for climbing and the sound of snow slid occasionally. The death rate of mountain climbing is rather high among all extreme sports. The death rate can arrive 20 percent to 30 percent when you climb a mountain which is higher than 8,000 meters. You will dance with Death and Death will follow you like a shadow in this sport. Death may fight with you and you can only escape with your power and wisdom. You may live again.
Climbing a mountain is difficult, but descending from a mountain can be dangerous as well. Boyu Xia’s two hands got frostbite and his legs were too swollen that could not fit in his artificial limbs when he was descending from a mountain. Mr. Minghe Gao who is a mountaineer in Taiwan got frostbite while descending from the Everest Mountain, his ten fingers, ten toes and nose was removed. But he kept taking pictures for Hundred Mountains in China after he was recovered. The preface I wrote for his picture album named Honor the Holy Snow Mountain to show my respect towards the mountains.
With the development of technology, transport, and communication tool, people's physical status is decreasing. Staying at home is one of the main reason. These great outdoor sports warriors are fighting against this decreasing and they are our examples. If there are accidents and natural hazard, those warriors have the ability and courage to help themselves and help other people.
Climbing because the mountain is there. There is a mountain, so there is climbing. There is climbing, so there are higher dreams and standard.
Written at the Zizhu Temple which is 4800 meters above sea level at August 12nd 2018
