Chinese paraglider sets Asian altitude record

Li Shengtao's successful conclusion of a paragliding flight on Mount Qomolangma, which is also known as Mount Everest, set an Asian record on May 18 for the highest such flight and left him vowing to take on more challenges in the future.

Li took off from a shoulder of the mountain at an altitude of 8,000 meters and landed at an altitude of 5,400 meters on its southern slope. The flight took 20 minutes.

It was the first paragliding flight approved by the Nepalese government on the southern slope of Qomolangma this year.

Li has lived in the Tibet autonomous region for 10 years, where he started out as a climber before becoming involved in paragliding. He now coaches others and made paragliding attempts from many of China's peaks before deciding to try his luck on the world's tallest mountain.

Currently in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region searching for suitable locations for training or future feats, he hopes to take part in paragliding competitions and adventures in China and Pakistan.

"As the first Chinese to attempt to paraglide on Qomolangma, I had no other Chinese paragliders to learn from," the 38-year-old said.

"As a result, I encountered a number of difficulties and complications."

Among them were the financial difficulties he encountered during the early stages of his attempt, as he not only had to pay for paragliding and climbing permits from the Nepalese government, but also had to assemble a team to climb Qomolangma. He was able to borrow the money he needed to make his attempt.

"I was able to take on the challenge of the high altitude and the changeable weather with the support of my team," Li said.

Li said he can trace his motivation to paraglide on Mount Qomolangma back to when he was first learning how to paraglide in Henan province in 2016.

He discovered that he was a quick learner and was able to master the craft after half a day.