Chinese mountaineers carry the Olympic
flame lanterns to the Base Camp of Mt. Qomolangma, at the altitude of
5,200 meters, in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on May 9, 2008.
Chinese mountaineers relayed the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch to the top of
Mt. Qomolangma on May 8. (Xinhua/Liu Yu) Photo Gallery>>>
QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP, Tibet, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The
Chinese Mountaineering Team has been given a hero's welcome as they went down
Mount Qomolangma to the 5,200-meter-high Base Camp after nine hours' trek on
Friday.
The 36-member team, who impressed the world one day
earlier by sending the Olympic flame atop the earth's summit, came back to the
6,500-meter-high camp late Thursday and headed for the Base Camp at about 10
a.m. Friday.
"It is important to have them back here all safely,
and this also means that we have finished the job successfully," said Li Zhixin,
chief of the Base Camp headquarters of the torch relay Qomolangma leg. "You
should not interview me, talk to them (mountaineers). They are real heroes."
A cheering crowd, mostly consisting of reporters and
officials with the Chinese Mountaineering Association greeted the team,
presenting each a hada, a traditional Tibetan scarf which means respect and
loyalty. An official welcome ceremony will be held on Saturday.
The Olympic flame used for the torch relay Qomolangma
leg was also brought back in the lantern before it is transported to Lhasa,
capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, on Saturday, waiting to join the main
relay to be held in the capital in June.
"I feel so excited to carry the torch on top of the
mountain," said team captain Wang Yongfeng, the second torch bearer in
Thursday's grandiose relay. "It is a special connotation when you bring
mountaineering and the Olympics together."
"I wish I could have shouted the slogan 'Light the
passion, share the dream' during the relay, but when I held the torch I just
felt a little bit worn-out," said the 45-year-old alpinist.
Gigi, a female Tibetan mountaineer who lost her
husband, also an excellent mountaineer, in climbing, has never imagined that she
could start the torch relay as the first runner.
"When I know that, I just could not sleep the night
before, it is a thrilling experience. I told myself to be slow and hold the
torch high, I feared that I might look clumsy," said the 39-year-old Gigi.
Chinese mountaineers display the Olympic
flame lanterns after they returned to the Base Camp of Mt. Qomolangma, at
the altitude of 5,200 meters, in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region
on May 9, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
"I will never
leave mountaineering. If one day I could not climb the mountains above 8,000
meters, I will try some shorter ones. After retirement, I will stay with the
team, trying to be a coach, " she added.
The Beijing Olympics torch relay is the longest and
most ambitious ever planned, traveling 137,000 kilometers across five continents
in 130 days. One of the highlights in its global journey is the ascent of the
world's highest mountain which spans Nepal and southwest China's Tibet
Autonomous Region.
The peak is respected as "Mother Goddess" by the
Tibetan minority. It is known to westerners as Mount Everest.
The Chinese Mountaineering Team has scaled Mount
Qomolangma successfully for more than ten times since 1960.
According to a scientific measurement in 2005, the
altitude of Mount Qomolangma is 8844.43 meters, 3.70 meters lower than the
figure obtained in 1975.
BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Mankind has taken the Olympic
flame to the top of the 8,844.43-meter (29,035-foot) Mt. Qomolangma (Everest)
for the first time in history Thursday morning at 9:17 a.m. Beijing time, after
overcoming a string of difficulties.
The 19-member team, of one ethnic Tu, 13 Tibetan, and five
ethnic Han mountaineers, climbed from an 8,300-meter-high camp on Mt. Qomolangma
early Thursday with the Olympic flame in a special canister. Full story
MT. QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP, Tibet, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The
Olympic flame made its first trip to Mount Qomolangma as Chinese mountaineers
brought it to the top of the world at 9:12 a.m. Beijing time (0112 GMT) on
Thursday. Full Story
MT. QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP, Tibet, May 8 (Xinhua)
-- The Olympic flame for the Beijing Games was carried to the top of Mount
Qomolangma by Chinese climbers at 9:18 a.m. Beijing Time on Thursday. Full Story
BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice
President Xi Jinping congratulated Chinese climbers for successfully carrying
the Olympic torch to the peak of Mount Qomolangma on Thursday morning. Full Story
TOKYO, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The people of China
seek to glorify the Olympic spirit of peace, solidarity and friendship through
the Beijing Games, visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao said here Thursday. Full Story
QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP, Tibet, May 8 (Xinhua) --
Nineteen Chinese mountaineers left the top of Mount Qomolangma at about 10 a.m.
Beijing Time Thursday after relaying the Olympic torch on the world's highest
peak. Full Story
BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Though the Olympic
torch has gone through the most adverse weather conditions on Mount Qomolangma,
its flame is burning bright thanks to China's rocket science. Full Story
BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- More than 100
Chinese had scaled Mt. Qomolangma in the past 48 years before a team of Chinese
mountaineers carried the Beijing Olympic flame to the top of the world's highest
peak Thursday morning. Full Story
