Climber conquers the world

Ambitious amputee mountaineer scales new heights of courage on Qomolangma, Du Juan reports.

Xia Boyu, 70, the first Chinese double amputee to have reached the summit of Mount Qomolangma, the highest mountain in the world, will continue his beloved climbing on the steep slopes of life.

"Even though I lost my legs, I don't think I am inferior to the others," he says. "I fight with my fate and challenge myself."

People often talk about dreams, but Xia is the kind of person who takes action to realize them.

On May 14, last year, Xia, who is the same age as the People's Republic of China, made his dream come true by reaching the top of Qomolangma (Mount Everest) seven days after leaving Base Camp on the Nepal side of the mountain.

Success didn't come easy. He had failed to summit the 8,844-meter peak four times before becoming one of the few double amputees to reach the top of the world.

Xia made three attempts in 2014,2015 and 2016 but was defeated by an avalanche, an earthquake and bad weather. His first attempt was in 1975 when he lost his legs.

"When I finally stood on the peak, I was pretty calm and quiet, not as exited as I had expected," he recalls. "In the previous years, I often dreamed about reaching the summit. However, when it really came true, it seems that my heart found peace."

Xia stayed at the summit for around 10 minutes and started to descend because of an incoming storm.

He took the obligatory pictures with others and looked down the mountain that had taken his lower legs from him in his first attempt more than 40 years ago.