CHINA; WHAT’S IT LIKE?

OUR TOP FIVE ENQUIRIES ARE 1) HOW TO HANG A BLADE 2 STOVE (ASK US), 2) CAN WE GET DEALS ON SAMAYA TENTS (YES IF YOU’RE ON OUR TEAMS), 3) HOW MUCH TO GO TO K2 NORTH RIDGE (WATCH THIS SPACE), 4) WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SPELLING MISTAKES (WE ARE CLIMBERS WRITING FROM PHONES IN TENTS AND JUST DON’T CARE), AND 5) WHAT’S THE SITUATION IN CHINA?

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BEFORE COVID, THERE WEREN’T MANY OPERATORS RUNNING HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING TRIPS TO CHINA, OTHER THAN THE HIGHLY SATURATED MARKET AROUND EVEREST. NOW THERE’S JUST US. CHINA MAKES THE NEWS CONSTANTLY NOW, FOR ALL SORTS OF REASONS TO BACK ALL SORTS OF MEDIA BIASES, BUT NONE OF THIS ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS A CLIMBER NEEDS TO RESOLVE BEFORE LAYING DOWN LOTS OF MONEY TO GO SOMEWHERE FOR WEEKS.

AFTER +25 YEARS OF GOING TO CHINA, WITH AN ACCUMULATIVE 7 YEARS ON EXPEDITION THERE (SUCK ON THAT HEINRICH HARRER) AND NEAR CONSTANT CONTACT WITH THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES, WE FEEL UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO INFORM THE SITUATION SO CLIMBERS CAN MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS.

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WHY CHINA?

NO MATTER HOW YOU CUT IT, CHINA IS A FRONTIER. YES, THE LARGE COASTAL CITIES HAVE HAD FOREIGNERS FOR DECADES AND CAN BE SURPRISINGLY WESTERNIZED, BUT 200km INLAND THAT ALL STOPS AND FOR THE NEXT 4000km IT’S STUFF THE REST OF THE WORLD BARELY KNOWS ABOUT. IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT CHINA BUT HAVEN’T BEEN THERE THEN YOU SIMPLY DON’T.

CHINA HAS MORE HIGH ALTITUDE TERRAIN THAN THE REST OF THE WORLD PUT TOGETHER, OF WHICH THE BIG PEAKS ALONG THE HIMALAYA/KARAKORAM DIVIDE ARE ONLY THE VERY EDGE. THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF PEAKS OVER 5000m METERS, THE VAST MAJORITY UNNAMED AND UNCLIMBED, RANGING FROM THE JUNGLES OF SOUTH EAST ASIA TO THE HIGH DESERTS OF TURKISTAN.

CHINA FUNCTIONS WELL AS A FRONTIER, WITH MOST MOUNTAIN AREAS BEING AS FRONTIER-LIKE TO THE LOCALS AS TO US. WHILST PEOPLE DO INHABIT SOME OF THESE AREAS, THEY TOO ARE PART OF THE FRONTIER BEING NOMADIC OR DISTINCT ETHNICITIES, PEOPLE WHO HAVE COEXISTED WITH THESE MOUNTAIN AREAS FOR CENTURIES. VERY LITTLE OF THE MOUNTAINS HAVE BEEN SUBDUED INTO TOURIST HAVENS, WITH THOSE THAT HAVE OFTEN STILL HAVING GENUINELY WILD AND REMOTE ASPECTS. IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW YOU DO IT, 5000m IS STILL A BIG PEAKS EVEN IF THERE’S A TOWN AT THE BASE OF IT.

CHINA PRESENTS WHAT EXPEDITION CLIMBING ALWAYS WAS TILL IT FELL INTO INDUSTRIALIZATION A FEW DECADES AGO, AND THE ETHICS AND IDEALS OF A ONCE PROUD SPORT CAN STILL BE PLAYED OUT. FOR THOSE WHO FRET OVER THE DEATH OF ALPINISM AND CORRUPTION OF CLIMBING DIGNITY OR A LACK OF STUFF TO CLIMB, CHINA IS THE BLIND SPOT THEY JUST HAVEN’T BEEN SEEING.

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WHAT’S THE FEELING?

CHINA DOES NOT FEEL LIKE AN OPPRESSIVE STATE, AND FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON LIFE IS A MUCH HIGHER STANDARD THAN IT WAS A DECADE AGO. COMMERCIALISM IS RAMPANT, PERSONAL FREEDOM TO GO AND WORK WHERE THEY WANT IS HIGHER THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN, LIFE FOLLOWS PRETTY NORMAL DAY TO DAY PATTERNS OF WORK AND RECREATION, AND PEOPLE ARE AS CONNECTED AS ANYWHERE.

DESPITE THE PORTRAYAL THAT THE CHINESE POPULATION IS ISOLATED AND TRAPPED BEHIND A FIREWALL, THEY ARE JUST AS INFORMED AS ANYWHERE ELSE. EVERYONE HAS VPNS, AN ARRAY OF SOCIAL MEDIA, ACCESS TO GOOGLE IF THEY WANT IT, AND A HUGE PORTION OF THE POPULATION HAS BEEN OVERSEAS OR IS INVOLVED IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE. OF COURSE THE GOVERNMENT DOESN’T LIKE ALL FORMS OF DISCOURSE, SO SOME SUBJECTS ARE BEST DISCUSSED DISCRETELY. JUST AS YOU WOULDN’T CRITICIZE THE MONARCHIES OR CONSTITUTIONS OR RELIGIONS OF SOME PLACES, IN CHINA YOU DON’T OPENLY VOICE OPINIONS ABOUT DISSENT.

THE VIBE OF CHINA IS OF A MODERN STATE WITH A HUGE HISTORY COMING TO GRIPS WITH RAPID GROWTH. THE MOMENTUM OF 1/6 OF HUMANITY IS IN FULL SWING AND NEEDS TO BE DIRECTED, AND AS A BIG BOAT TO STEER SOME ASPECTS CAN BE MONUMENTAL WHEN SEEN BY OUTSIDERS. CHINA HAS A DEEP RESPECT FOR ITS HISTORY AND HAS A HUGE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AS REFERENCE, ON TOP OF A BOUYANCY OF BEING ONE OF THE FEW SYSTEMS TO HAVE PREVAILED IN THE POST WAR ERA. UNLIKE SOVIETISM THAT COLLAPSED INTO DESPOTISM AND BALKANIZATION, THE CHINESE SYSTEM MUTATED WITH THE RESULT THERE TO SEE.

AS CLIMBERS WE FILL A UNIQUE NICHE, OF EXPLORERS COMING TO A CULTURE THAT HEAVILY VALUES SUCH THINGS. WHILST COMMERCIAL CLIMBING IS NO MORE THAN A NOVELTY, EXPLORING DISTANT TERRAIN IS INTEGRAL TO CHINESE CULTURE, ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS THAT ARE CENTRAL TO THEIR FOLKLORE. RATHER THAN BEING SEEN AS TOURISTS TO EXPLOIT OR INVADERS CREEPING AROUND THE BORDERS, BEING CLIMBERS SETS US AMONG THE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE WHO WILLINGLY SHARE THEIR OWN CONNECTION. EVERY TRIP INVOLVES TIME WITH LOCAL NOMADS, MONASTERIES, WORKERS, HUNTERS, SCIENTISTS AND ADVENTURERS, WHO ALL WELCOME US A FELLOW TRAVELLERS OR GUESTS TO THEIR HOMELANDS.

MODERN CHINA HAS MANY OF THE SAME VALUES THE WEST DOES, OF WORKING FOR BETTER INCOMES, EDUCATION TO MOVE FORWARD, AND DISCOVERING A RECREATIONAL ASPECT TO LIFE THAT IS A RELATIVELY NEW THING. THE BAD OLD DAYS OF TOTALITARIAN COMMUNISM ARE LONG GONE, REPLACED BY A SORT OF STATE CAPITALISM AND HYPERCONSUMERIST ETHIC, WHERE THE DREAM OF WEALTH IS NOW A REALITY THAT CAN BE PHYSICALLY SEEN.

SOME CLIMBERS ARE SURPRISED THAT CHINA IS NOT NECESSARILY THE RUSTIC EXOTIC STEREOTYPE, WITH THE CITIES BEING GLEAMING NEON METROPOLI AND THE ROADS BEING HIGH SPEED CONDUITS. YES, THE MOUNTAIN TOWNS ARE STILL WHAT YOU THINK TIBET, TURKISTAN AND OLD CHINA WILL LOOK LIKE, WITH THE POLARITY BEING ONE OF THE STUNNING PARTS OF THE TRIP.

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HOW’S THE POLITICS?

LET’S BE CLEAR – NO COUNTRY WITH HIGH ALTITUDE PEAKS HAS A GOOD POLITICAL RECORD. CONFLICT, ETHNIC TENSION, BORDER DISPUTES, TRADE WAR AND POLITICAL THUGGISHNESS GO WITH THE TERRITORY, AND WITH THE SCALE AND HISTORY OF CHINA THERE IS A LOT OF POLITICS TO DIG THROUGH.

UNLIKE SAY NEPAL OR ARGENTINA WHERE THEIR POLITICS IS EASY TO IGNORE, CHINA WITHOUT IT’S TOURIST BUBBLE IS LESS EASIER TO DO SO. NEVERTHELESS WHEN WE CLIMB THERE WE HAVE NO POLITICAL AGENDA, OTHER THAN TO SEE WITH OUR OWN EYES RATHER THEN THROUGH THE BIASES OF MEDIA. ANY MEDIA.

CHINA’S POLITICS DON’T REALLY AFFECT CLIMBING TRIPS, ANY MORE THAN THEY DO ANYWHERE ELSE. YES THERE ARE CLOSED AREAS AND RULES ABOUT FLYING DRONES AND OCCASIONAL ROAD CHECKPOINTS, BUT UNLESS YOU GO LOOKING FOR TROUBLE YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FIND IT. THE SAME THINGS THAT ARE FOUND IN MOST OTHER COUNTRIES CAN BE SEEN IN CHINA INCLUDING PROPAGANDA, PRISONS, TELEVISION, AND GATHERINGS, AND FROM THESE YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN OPINION, IN REAL TIME, BASED ON EXPERIENCE.

TIBET IS AN OBVIOUS CASE, AND THE EFFECTS OF THE CULTURAL CLASH ARE OPEN AND OBVIOUS, BUT THIS DOESN’T MAKE THINGS ANYTHING LESS THAN VERY COMPLICATED. WHERE POPULAR IDEOLOGIES LIKE THE FREE TIBET MOVEMENT FALL SHORT IS WITH THE COMPLEXITY AND DEPTH OF THE MATTER, WHICH GO BACK FAR FURTHER THAN THE SIMPLISTIC IDEAS ABOUT INVASION IN THE MODERN ERA.

TIBET ITSELF IS NOT AN EASY THING TO DEFINE, NOR WERE THINGS UTOPIAN BEFORE THE CONFLICT WITH MODERN CHINA HIT CRITICAL. THERE ARE NO EXCUSES FOR ATROCITIES, BUT THERE ARE NONE FOR IGNORANCE EITHER, AND THE HISTORY OF THESE PLACES RIGHT UP TO THE PRESENT NEEDS TO BE REFERENCED FOR FEAR OF FALLING INTO DOGMA AND CONSPIRACY.

XINJIANG IS THE OTHER ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, AND IS SOMEWHERE WE HAVE BEEN VISITING SINCE WHEN IT FIRST OPENED TO INDEPENDENT TRAVEL. XINJIANG IS EVERY BIT AS COMPLEX A MATTER AS TIBET, AND THE MEDIA STORIES HAVE MUCH MORE TO THEM THAN IS PRESENTED. UNLIKE TIBET, XINJIANG CAN FEEL LIKE A STATE IN CONFLICT, NOT UNLIKE THE WEST BANK, THE CAUCUSES OR NEAR THE LOC IN THE KARAKORAM. BUT, THE FURTHER YOU GET FROM THE CITIES THE LESS THIS IS SO, AND ONCE FIRMLY INTO THE UYGHER, TAJIK, AND MONGOLIAN AREAS, THE PRESENCE OF THE MILITARY RECEDES WITH NO ATMOSPHERE OF TENSION. DESPITE THE STORIES ABOUT CULTURAL GENOCIDE, UYGHER CULTURE IS ALIVE AND WELL IN THE PLACES WE VISIT, INCLUDING UYGHER HOMELANDS LIKE KASHGAR, HOTAN, AND YARKHAND WHERE TODAY THEY ARE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST AND COME WITH AN OPEN MIND, BECAUSE WHATEVER YOU ARE TOLD IT WILL NOT BE THAT.

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HOW’S THE SECURITY?

ASIDE FROM BANDITRY THAT ENDED ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO, WE HAVE NEVER HAD A SECURITY PROBLEM ON OUR TRIPS. YES WE HAVE BEEN IN AREAS WHERE TENSION IS HIGH, BUT WE HAVE ALWAYS PASSED SAFELY THROUGH.

CHINA HAS HAD ISSUES WITH DOMESTIC TERRORIST EVENTS AND DEMONSTRATIONS TURNING VIOLENT, BUT NOTHING ON THE SCALE OF PAKISTAN OR NEPAL DURING THE MAOIST INSURGENCY. OUR DEALINGS WITH SECURITY FORCES, EVEN IN CONTENTIOUS AREAS LIKE THE BORDERS AND AROUND POSSIBLY PRISONS IN REMOTE AREAS, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CORDIAL, AND BECAUSE WE HAVE PERMITS FROM THE TOP WE HAVE NO AMBIGUITY AROUND OUR PRESENCE.

AS FAR AS WE KNOW THE BANDITRY OF EASTERN TIBET HAS CEASED, RISING INCOMES AND CHINAS NOTORIOUSLY HARSH PENALTIES PUTTING AN END TO IT. LIKEWISE THE UNREST THAT PLAGUED XINJIANG 10-15 YEARS AGO HAS ALSO CEASED, WITH MOST INCIDENTS NOW CONFINED TO RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS AND TARGETED VEHICLES. PROTEST INCIDENTS IN TIBETAN AREAS CAN HAPPEN, AND WHEN THEY DO SOME LOCALIZED AREAS CAN BE SHUT DOWN. BECAUSE WE ARE RUBBER STAMPED FROM BEIJING, IN THESE CASE WE ARE ALLOWED TO PASS THROUGH BUT NOT STAY.

IN XINJIANG WE CLIMB NEAR THE DISPUTED AREAS WITH INDIA, BUT STILL FAR FROM THE PLACES WHERE INCIDENTS HAVE FLARED. AGAIN, OUR EXTENSIVE PERMITS SHOW OUR INTENT ONLY TO CLIMB AND THE LOGISTICS SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT, SO A SERIES OF VERIFICATIONS AND WE ARE NEVER HELD UP LONG.

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HOW’RE THE MOUNTAINS?

IT MUST ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED THAT GREAT MOUNTAINEERING HAS ALMOST ALWAYS TAKEN PLACE AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF INTRIGUE, UNREST, POLITICAL TURMOIL AND GREAT CHANGE, AND THAT EVEN BY RECENT STANDARDS THE SCAPE OF CHINA IS QUITE TAME. WE CLIMBED ALL ACROSS CENTRAL ASIA AND PAKISTAN RIGHT THROUGH THE DARKEST DAYS OF THE AFGHAN WAR WHEN THE THREAT TO FOREIGN NATIONALS WAS ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE HIGHER, AS WELL AS THE EARLY DAYS OF ACCESS TO XINJIANG WHEN WE WERE TREATED WITH REAL SUSPICION.

IT IS NOT THAT THE MOUNTAINS OF TIBET, XINJIANG AND CHINA ARE GREAT DESPITE THE CONTROVERSIAL SCENARIOS AROUND IT – THEY ARE GREAT BECAUSE OF THEM. THE VOLATILE POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES ARE EXACTLY WHAT HAS KEPT THESE PLACES REMOTE AND FROM BECOMING TOURIST TRAPS, AS WELL AS KEEPING THESE PLACES PART OF LIVING HISTORY RATHER THAN BEING PALE SHADOWS OF THEIR PASTS.

GREAT CLIMBING TOO HAS ALWAYS PLAYED OFF THESE FACTORS, IN A SORT OF CAT AND MOUSE OF CLIMBERS PUSHING WHAT THE AUTHORITIES WILL ALLOW. FORBIDDEN AND LEGENDARY LANDS ARE THE MAINSTAY OF GREAT CLIMBING, SIMPLY BECAUSE WHEN PLACES FALL TO TOURISM THE VERY ESSENCE OF ALPINISM AND EXPLORATION CANNOT SHINE THROUGH.

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CHINA NEVER HAS PANDERED TO THE WHIMS OF FOREIGN OPINION, BUT IT ALWAYS HAS RESPECTED THOSE WHO COME TO EXPLORE BY FAIR MEANS. TODAY THE MOUNTAINS THERE ARE STILL THE RAW, REMOTE, AND NEAR-MYTHICAL PLACES THEY HAVE BEEN FOR MILLENIA, WHERE THE HOMOGENIZATION AND TOURISTIFICATION FOUND ELSEWHERE IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN. ERIC SHIPTON COULD SHOW UP IN CHINA TODAY AND FEEL MUCH AS HE WOULD HAVE A CENTURY AGO, WHEN THE GREAT OPPORTUNITES TO EXPLORE WERE MATCHED BY THE GEOPOLITICAL DRAMA, FROM WHICH THE FINEST MOUNTAINEERING EXPLOITS COULD ARISE.

WE KNOW THERE ARE CONTENTIONS ABOUT TIBET, XINJIANG, HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE SHIFTS OF POLITICAL POWER, AND WE ALSO KNOW IT IS NOT ONLY COMPLEX, BUT SIMPLY THE WAY THINGS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AROUND THERE. OUR AIM IS TO FIND OUT FOR OURSELVES, FROM THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OF CLIMBERS WHO SEEM THE ONLY ONES ABLE TO BRIDGE A DIVIDE OUR GOVERNMENTS CANNOT. WE ARE NOT APOLOGISTS FOR THE CHINESE STATE, BUT WE ARE FRIENDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LONG WELCOMED US, AND RATHER THAN CAST 1/6 OF HUMANITY BY THE ACTIONS OF THEIR LEADERS, WE CONNECT WITH THOSE WHO, LIKE US, HOLD GREAT MOUNTAINS IN GREAT REGARD.