Anna Zhao

    anna.whizh@yahoo.com

    LIU YONGZHONG, a native descendant of Hakka communities in Pinghu Subdistrict, Longgang District, has topped five of the world’s 14 peaks of 8,000 meters or more, organized numerous cycling races in Shenzhen and driven across China. He usually spends the first half of the year on mountain expeditions in exotic locales and the second half of the year cycling locally. Adventures, travel and constant motion seem to be in his veins.

    Surmounting peaks

    The 45-year-old Liu is a celebrity among mountaineers in Longgang. He is not stylish in appearance, but lives a stylish life — whether he’s on a mountain, on an excursion or socializing with friends in his pub.

    Liu has been an active member of local outdoor sports clubs since the late 1990s. He easily conquered Shenzhen’s peaks, such as Wutong Mountain, and began eyeing targets beyond the city. His high-altitude experiences began in 2004, when he began seriously researching mountain climbing online. After ascending the 6,178-meter Yuzhu Peak in Qinghai Province, he was hooked with an unstoppable urge to conquer peaks.

    In 2007, he topped the 7,745-meter Muztagata Peak in Xinjiang. In May 2009, he reached the top of Mount Qomolangma, known in the West as Mount Everest and Liu’s first peak above 8,000 meters.

    “Ascending Mount Everest was a test of my stamina and an affirmation of myself. It was the beginning of my mountaineering life,” Liu said.

    He returned this May from Mount Kanchenjunga, which is the world’s third-highest mountain and straddles the Nepal-India border. Liu now has overcome five peaks of 8,000 meters or more — but he’s far from done.

    “My goal is to surmount all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters on the globe,” he said.

    There are 30 people in the world who have accomplished that goal, and it will take at least a few years for Liu to realize the dream.

    Liu said every peak boasts a unique view that is seen by only the few people who can get there — and he wants to see them all.

    Dangers on the way

    Danger is always awaiting mountaineers. Liu said he has experienced several life-threatening situations.

    He once slipped and fell toward a cliff — with fellow climbers tied to him — when they were descending Mount Chola, 6,168 meters above sea level, in August 2009. Fortunately, rocks on the mountain slope kept them from rolling down.

    “There are certain dangers, but they don’t detract from the beauty on the way,” he said.

    On a September 2010 trip to Mount Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth-highest peak, Liu and his teammates had to withdraw when they reached 8,000 meters due to extremely bad weather.

    Perhaps his closest brush with death was in May 2012, when he separated from his guide on the way up Mount Makalu in the Himalayas. Extremely exhausted and lacking oxygen, Liu fell asleep and said he had hallucinations in the wilderness, covered with ice and snow. He survived after his teammates and guide found him in the dark night.

    “Mountaineering is an exotic experience, but very strenuous,” Liu said. “I lose nearly 10 kilograms on every trip, and I have invested large sums of time and money on it.”

    But he said the excitement and spiritual fulfillment make him addicted to climbing, which Liu called “worthwhile in all respects.”

    Traveling across China

    At Liu’s home, a map of China densely marked with black lines and arrows indicates the routes he has taken since 2002.

    “The first trip to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, driving in my own car, began my aspirations for a different life,” he said.

    He would carefully observe local cultures in the places he passed through.

    “I have seen many beautiful places that I won’t forget in my life. But it’s very depressing to see some places that were excessively exploited and turned into tourist resorts,” he said.

    Liu has a habit of collecting tickets and small gadgets during his trips. He’s carefully put admission tickets to interesting places he has visited into a picture frame.

    “I can recall the sight of the places when I look at the tickets,” Liu said.

    Other collections include insignias of the late Chairman Mao, in different sizes, and matchboxes. Liu said he plans to make his travels into an album of paintings, or a book, to share with others.

    Liu also has a habit of avoiding expressways on his self-guided tours, to not miss the scenery on the way. He often stops to ask locals about good places to go. To force himself to complete the journey, he sometimes leaves his car halfway along so he’ll have to return.

    Liu became acquainted with many people during his driving and mountaineering trips, and eventually got the idea to open a pub where he could see his friends. In 2008, his pub opened in Pinghu. It has since become a venue for numerous events and a local center for photography and music lovers.

    Promoting local cycling

    When his car’s tires aren’t spinning across the country, Liu’s bike tires are spinning in Shenzhen. Cycling races are becoming increasingly popular in Pinghu. The subdistrict hosts four open cycling races, a yearly local cycling race, a triathlon and four 250-kilometer event around Shenzhen. Liu contributes to all of them.

    As one of the first serious cyclers in Pinghu, Liu often wondered about how to regulate the sports’ development as its fan clubs gained more members.

    In 2010, Liu launched a 230-kilometer cycling event to support related competitions in the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade. He designed the cycling route and spent his own money organizing the event. He said he was booed before the event, but participants turned out to be quite satisfied at the end.

    “The joyous faces and contented voices of people who attended the cycling race made me determined to keep doing it,” Liu said.

    At the Universiade, Liu became the only citizen to take charge of competitions in the cycling race venue.

    When the Pinghu Cycling Association was established last September, Liu became its first president. He no longer races, but constantly shuttles between enterprises and association members to coordinate races and events.

    “The association is growing from solid public support and certainly we’ll make it thrive,” Liu said.

“My goal is to surmount all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters on the globe.”

— Liu Yongzhong who has topped five of the world’s peaks of 8,000 meters or more