Zhang Hong talks to TWOC about being first blind Chinese person, and third blind person in the world, to summit earth's tallest mountain
“Vibrations from avalanche.” “Cracking ice.” “Biting wind mixed with snow [that] hit us like waves.” Zhang Hong describes his journey to and from Mount Qomolangma, the Tibetan name for Mount Everest, using a panoply of sounds, smells, and the feel of thin, frigid air in his nostrils—because he is blind.
A native of Fuling, a small town near Chongqing in west-central China, Zhang lost his sight at the age of 21 due to glaucoma. He and his wife had lived in several cities including Shanghai and Chengdu, before moving to Lhasa to work as physical therapists. There, he met mountaineer Luotse, who shared with him the story of Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to reach the summit of Qomolangma. This ignited Zhang’s desire to become a mountaineer.
When just about everyone around him thought he was crazy, Zhang started working towards his goal. Over the past six years, he has reached the summits of mountains including Muztagh Ata (7,546m) in northwestern China, Chomolhari Kang (7,034m) on the China-Bhutan border, and Qizi Peak (6,206m) close to Lhasa.
Finally, on May 24, 2021, the 46-year-old summited Qomolangma—the third blind person in the world, and the first from China, to accomplish that feat. Quarantining in Kathmandu after his journey, Zhang speaks to TWOC about his ascent to the highest peak on Earth and the transformation it spurred in him.
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