Standing on the peak of Mount Qomolangma, Luo Jing looked down on the world from the highest point on Earth. She saw the rolling mountains,
covered by pure snow: Everything was at her feet. She took a deep breath
and closed her eyes, just as she did 10 years ago, when she was at the
rock bottom of her life, gazing at the world downward from the top floor
of her apartment, ready to extricate herself from all the suffering.To
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Mount Qomolangma was the ninth eight-thousander Luo had ascended since her first successful attempt at the Manaslu in 2011.
On September 29, 2018, she was making headlines as the first Chinese woman to conquer all 14 eight-thousanders when she came back from
Shishapangma, the last on her list, until she disqualified herself four
days later.
“The international mountaineering team (behind us) have descended and confirmed (that I have ascended the wrong peak),” Luo announced on her
Weibo, denying the feat she was thought to have accomplished in her own
name.
Every one of her experienced team members claimed the ascent was successful. She was already hailed as a hero by media and mountaineering
lovers at home. She could have just stayed silent and take all the
credit, putting a perfect end to her mountaineering dream.
At last, she chose honesty over honor. According to Luo, the peak they successfully ascended was the Central-Peak of Shishapangma, the
second top at 8,008 meters, whereas the Main-Peak stands about some 300
meters away at 8,027 meters.
She had careful discussions with other experts, comparing photos and videos from her attempt and those of confirmed ascents, before she came
to this conclusion.
Although a local authority insisted where they had reached was the highest point of the mountain, she believed that photos and videos don’t
lie.
In 2005, Luo gave birth to her son Nuo Nuo, whose name and that of his father were frequently mentioned in her conversations with friends
about her busy but sweet everyday life.
But only one year later, the happy mother and wife found herself heavily indebted with over 2 million yuan (US$294,000) borrowed by her
husband, who disappeared all of a sudden. She decided to repay the
debts. She sold her house, commuted nearly three hours every day for
work. She ran a small business all by herself to make more money and
saved every penny possible at the same time. In 2007, the 32-year-old
shook off all the debts.
A former white-collar worker in an IT company, Luo is also a fond lover of outdoor sports. Camping and hiking were part of her life, and
mountaineering was what she had long dreamt of.
A quick learner and a determined climber, Luo broke her own record for the highest mountain ascended from 5,000-meter-plus to
7,000-meter-plus in merely a year and a half.
