A businessman from Shaoguan in southern China's Guangdong Province has become the first person from the city to reach the summit of Mount Qomolangma.
Miao Yi, who is in his late 30s, reached the 8,848.86-metre summit of the world's highest peak at 7:45 am local time on June 5. He climbed via the North Face, a route widely regarded by mountaineers as more technically demanding and riskier than the southern route.
Just over a year before reaching the summit of Mount Qomolangma. Miao had no high-altitude mountaineering experience. Born in 1988 in Wujiang District, Shaoguan, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry and spent his free time at the gym or walking on local hills.
Miao progressed rapidly through increasingly challenging climbs. In March 2025, he made his first ascent of a high-altitude peak, Gangshika Peak (5,005 metres) in Qinghai Province. By September, he had successfully summited Manaslu in Nepal (8,163 metres), becoming a member of the so-called "eight-thousander" club.
Miao set off from Shaoguan on April 13, 2026, after a small send-off ceremony organised by the city's mountaineering association. Asked why he wanted to climb Mount Qomolangmahe，he said: "No matter how far I go, I am still a child who started from Shaoguan."
He chose the North Face route, which starts on the side of Xizang. Above 8,000 metres along this route lies the "death zone," with oxygen levels below one-third of those at sea level, temperatures ranging from minus 30 to minus 40 degrees Celsius, and strong winds.
His first summit attempt began on May 21 but was called off when a storm struck Camp Two at 7,028 metres. The team was forced to retreat. Miao waited at camp for a new weather window and set out again a week later.
On the morning of June 5, Miao finally reached the summit. In video footage recorded at the top, he gave a brief message to his home city: "Shaoguan's mountains are beautiful, its waters are beautiful, and its people are even more beautiful. The people of Shaoguan are warm and hospitable. You are welcome to come and see for yourselves."
In recent years, Shaoguan has drawn on its mountainous landscapes, including Danxia Mountain and Nanling National Forest Park, to promote itself as a destination for outdoor sports.
Author | Feng Huiting
Photo | Nanfang Plus
