Mountaineering stories from Qomolangma summit shared in Yangmei Community

The first public welfare sharing session of Yangmei Talk·Beyond the Summit was held April 18 at the Vanke Mall in Bantian, Longgang District, attracting more than 60 local residents and outdoor enthusiasts.

The series, themed “Yangmei Talk: Aim High, Warm the Community, Benefit Together,” aims to bring the spirit of mountaineering — exploration, perseverance and self-transcendence — into everyday life.

For the inaugural session, the guest speaker was Ma Xiao, vice president of the Shenzhen Mountaineering and Outdoor Sports Association (SMOA), COO of Sports Genomic Inc. (SGI), and an experienced climber who has reached the summit of Mount Qomolangma twice.

Ma Xiao, vice president of the Shenzhen Mountaineering and Outdoor Sports Association (SMOA) shares his stories with the audience. Photos courtesy of SMOA

Ma shared stories from his climbs, including his first ascent of Qomolangma in 2021, his return to the summit for high-altitude research and team-building purposes, and his efforts to help solve a long-standing domestic shortage of Chinese-made climbing oxygen cylinders through in-house corporate R&D.

He also spoke about climbing with his daughter, describing how they supported each other in extreme conditions and gradually became not just father and daughter, but true climbing partners. For him, these experiences represented four major “mountains” in life — all of which he has summited.

During the interactive session, audience members eagerly asked about how climbing Qomolangma has influenced his work and daily life, his journey from his first snow mountain to Qomolangma, and how to endure the “darkest moments”of high-altitude climbing.

A boy interacts with Ma during the Q&A session.

“Today’s sharing session has brought the spirit of climbing closer to everyday life. Yangmei Community has always been committed to building a warm and meaningful platform for neighborhood exchange. Through ‘Yangmei Talk,’we hope to bring role models from all walks of life into the community, move people with real stories, and unite everyone through shared strength," said Wang Junqiang, Party secretary of the Yangmei Community Party Committee.

“Going forward, the community will continue to offer more meaningful activities to residents, so that everyone can draw upward momentum from exchange.”

The event was hosted by the Party Committee of the Yangmei Community and organized by the SMOA, with support from the Vanke Mall.