14-6-2023 (KATHMANDU) The rescue of a Chinese woman on Mount Everest has ignited a social media storm after she was accused of refusing to pay the Sherpa who helped save her.
While both her climbing organization and the firm employing the Sherpas claimed to have resolved the issue, the allegations against the climber sparked a frenzy on social media, with thousands of comments attacking her and her personal information being exposed online.
The controversy revolves around a single incident—a promise made without the climber’s knowledge that ultimately saved her life.
While all parties involved have shared their perspectives, the woman at the center of the controversy, 50-year-old climber Liu Qunying, has remained silent.
The incident unfolded when Liu was found unconscious near the summit of Mount Everest on May 18 by a fellow Chinese climber and his Sherpa, according to Liu’s mountaineering team, Kaitu Alpine.
Liu had reached the summit earlier that day with her hired Sherpa but they got separated during the descent due to “unclear communication,” as stated by Kaitu Alpine. The company explained that while Liu was alone, her equipment got entangled in a rope at an altitude of around 27,000 feet.
At such a high altitude, known as the “death zone,” conditions are extremely perilous with freezing temperatures and scarce oxygen. Liu remained stuck for an hour until another Chinese climber named Fan Jiangtao and his Sherpa, Lakpa Gelu Sherpa, discovered her. Fan was climbing Everest as part of the Hunan Mountaineering Team, which is separate from Kaitu Alpine.
Seeing Liu’s critical condition, Fan and Lakpa decided to abandon their own ascent and rescue her, as per a statement from the Hunan Mountaineering Team.
When found, Liu’s face was covered in ice, she had run out of oxygen, and her hands were severely frostbitten, with one of them turning black, as reported by Fan to Chinese media.
During the rescue operation, Fan and Lakpa carried Liu for approximately 650 feet. However, as the night fell, exhaustion set in and they reached a point of despair.
At that moment, they encountered one of Fan’s teammates, Xie Ruxiang, and his Sherpa, Pem Chiri Sherpa, who were on their way up to the summit.
Fan and Xie acknowledged that they desperately needed Pem’s assistance as he was considerably stronger than the rest of the group.
It was at this juncture that Xie made a promise that would later become the source of intense backlash against Liu. According to Chinese media, Xie informed Pem that if the Sherpa aided in the rescue of the unconscious Liu, she would pay the standard fee of $10,000.
The company employing Lakpa and Pem, 8K Expeditions, confirmed the details of the rescue but did not provide specific information regarding the rescue fees.
With all four individuals cooperating, Lakpa and Pem provided Liu with oxygen and carried her to Camp 4, while Xie and Fan kept her legs elevated.
Meanwhile, Liu’s original Sherpa, Lakpa Pemba Sherpa, realized that his client had not returned when he arrived at Camp 4, according to Kaitu Alpine.
Lakpa Pemba Sherpa began ascending the mountain again to search for Liu but was informed that she had already been rescued. They reunited the following morning around 7:30 a.m. local time, as reported by the company.
The Backlash Unleashed on Chinese Social Media
Fan and Xie’s decision to save Liu turned them into overnight heroes on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
Given that 96 Chinese climbers were granted permits to ascend Everest this year, making China the country with the highest number of climbers, summit achievements seldom garner significant attention on Chinese social media.
However, this time, Fan and Xie were celebrated for abandoning their own climb to rescue a fellow Chinese citizen and enduring an 11-hour ordeal to carry her to Camp 4.
“One person wrote, ‘Although they have not reached the summit of Mount Everest, they have reached the summit of humanity!'”
But the situation soured when posts on Weibo accused Liu of refusing to pay the promised $10,000 to Pem and Lakpa. Chinese bloggers and media outlets reported that Fan claimed Liu was only willing to pay $4,000 of the fee, and Fan and Xie had to reimburse the Sherpas in the meantime. Fan also stated that Liu gave the Sherpas a tip of $1,500, while he and Xie each gave them $1,800. However, Liu did not confirm these figures.
“I gave up hundreds of thousands of yuan, gave up such a long time of preparation, and in the end, I had to fork up the money. I am very angry,” Fan expressed to the local outlet UpStream News.
Screenshots of Fan and Xie criticizing Liu in a chat group surfaced, further fueling the backlash. In separate statements on their Weibo accounts, Fan and Xie explained that the screenshots had been leaked from a private group.
Seeking calm, the duo appealed to bloggers and local media to leave Liu alone.
“We saved her, and we hope she can live a good life. We also hope that the doxxing, attacks, insults, and other behaviors on the internet will stop, and that the cyberbullying will cease,” wrote Fan.
However, their statements failed to shield Liu from an overwhelming wave of backlash, misinformation, and online hate. The hashtag “Everest rescued woman doesn’t want to pay full rescue expenses” has been viewed over 370 million times on Weibo, according to data seen by Insider.
Weibo users started circulating photos of Liu, divulging information about her mountaineering experience, and spreading alleged details about her professional life. Discussions about the climber were rife with false claims, such as one report suggesting she attempted to climb Mount Everest solo, despite Nepal prohibiting such endeavors.
“One person wrote, ‘I’m in favor of sending her back. If there’s a fee to send her back, I’ll contribute a little.'”
Resolution and High-Profile Rescue Incidents
Kaitu Alpine defended Liu in a statement on Saturday, asserting that she had been subjected to “untrue rumors and people taking things out of context.”
“In this incident, the accidental separation of Ms. Liu and the Sherpa was a mistake on our part, and we must take responsibility for this,” Kaitu Alpine stated.
The company also stated that it had settled all rescue expenses with 8K Expeditions and their Sherpas.
In a statement to Insider, 8K Expeditions confirmed that they had no outstanding claims against Liu.
“With regard to this life-saving mission, Eight Expeditions & Kaitu Expedition Nepal have no financial benefits and claims,” the company responded. However, 8K Expeditions did not clarify whether a $10,000 rescue fee was part of the expenses settled.
When approached for comment, Xie confirmed to Insider on Tuesday that he and Fan had been reimbursed by Kaitu Alpine.
“The mountaineering company acknowledged that its mistakes led to Ms. Liu’s crisis, expressed their gratitude to us, and covered the rescue expenses we had advanced,” Xie stated.
He further expressed being “deeply disturbed by Ms. Liu’s encounter with cyberbullying.” As of now, Liu could not be reached for comment.
Liu’s case is the second high-profile rescue incident on Everest in May. On the same day, a Malaysian climber named Ravichandran Tharumalingam was found near the summit by a Sherpa and brought to Camp 4.
However, Ravichandran also faced severe backlash on social media after being accused of refusing to publicly acknowledge the person who saved his life.
So far this year, at least 12 individuals have lost their lives on Everest, marking one of the deadliest climbing seasons to date.
