“Life Was So Unfair”: Asia’s First Blind Climber, Zhang Hong While Conquering the Heights of Perseverance to Summit Mount Everest

To have a vision, it is not always important for a person to also have a sight. Zhang Hong from China has proved the very same fact by defying every possible limitation and etching his name in history and the hearts of many. Picture a visually impaired man standing at the pinnacle of the world’s highest peak. Yes, you read it right! A feat which has been achieved by a daring few in the world has been accomplished by Hong, who lost his sight at the age of 21.

His journey is like the modern echo of John Milton’s poetic defiance. Hong has scaled the heights of Mount Qomolangma and has rightfully rewritten the narrative of human potential. His tale not only has defied physical limitations but explores the emotional turmoil that Hong had to go through to prove the fact that one’s disabilities don’t define them, but their zeal to dream and live does.

Zhang Hong’s unforgettable climb to the top of the world

Hong became the first blind man from Asia to scale the highest peak in the world. Born in Chongqing Municipality in Southwest China, he inherited the ailment of glaucoma, which resulted in his blindness at the tender age of 21. “The inferiority brought by my family was like a scar in my heart. After losing my sight, a sharp knife was cut into that scar, splitting my heart, making it rotten and bleeding”, said Hong describing the heart-wrenching moments of his life. 

Just when it was Hong’s time to spread his wings, life threw the biggest challenge at him. He worked as a masseur in China to make a living after he lost his sight. But the monotony of his daily schedule failed to quell his fiery determination within. Hong never stopped dreaming. In 2011, Hong became a medic at a hospital but his heart lay in the lap of the mountains.

It was in 2015 when Hong first realized the fact that there were still grounds left for his dreams to be fulfilled during a casual conversation with a renowned mountain climber. He was well aware of Austrian climber Eric Weihenmayer, who was unfortunately visually impaired and scaled Everest in 2001. That was when he started weaving his dreams. 

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Hong climbed more than 200 flights of stairs for 3 hours a day from 4 to 7 in the morning. He also carried 30-kilogram weights at an altitude of over 3,000 meters in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. Although he was preparing himself for Mount Qomolangma, he knew that he did not have the financial stability to climb the peak.

After a long wait of four years, Hong conquered three consecutive snow-capped peaks, the third one being Mount Muztagata. Climbers have often treated Mount Muztagata as the peak to be tackled before setting foot forward to Mount Everest. Hong waited for the final and ultimate goal with courage and enthusiasm. 

His strong sense of perseverance now conquered his self-doubt. “With this anger, I always wanted to do something to prove that a blind man is no less than a normal man”, Zhang said and proved the same in all possible ways. 

Hong’s Everest Triumph Mirrors the Poetic Spirit of Milton

On May 19, 2021, Hong embarked on the journey to conquer Mount Qomolangma. He took every step in the snow-covered mountain and thanked the celestial summits for accepting him. Encountering and overcoming dangers like vertigo and oxygen leakages Hong reached the top of the mystic on May 24, 2021. 

He was relieved from all his past doubts, anger, and disappointments. With tears in his eyes, he arrived at the base camp again on May 27, 2021. Hong, talking about his historic journey and his priceless experience said, “It showed me that nature treats everyone equally. It didn’t treat me differently because I am blind.”

Hong has truly reached the top of the world in all its senses. Overcoming all his infernal doubts Hong’s achievement resonates with the timeless spirit of the great poet who lost his sight at 43 but still chose to compose the greatest epic of all time, Paradise Lost, with his resilience and courage. Every step taken by Hong in this journey is a testament to the indomitable spirit that resides within all of us. 

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