A Taiwanese mountaineer known for his habit of always carrying a statue of Mazu (媽祖) — the goddess of the sea — on his climbs set off yesterday on a fresh adventure to Mount Manaslu in the Himalayas.
Lee Hsiao-shih (李小石) departed for Nepal from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to make final preparations for his expedition to the world’s eighth-highest summit, with an elevation of 8,163m.
Prior to his departure, Lee said it was likely that the expedition would involve great difficulties, but if everything went smoothly, he would be able to reach the summit between late May and early June.
Photo: CNA
According to the 56-year-old climber, mountaineering requires not only perseverance and physical strength, but also “the power of god.”
“I hope Mazu will give me a hand along the way,” he said.
Lee inherited his faith in Mazu from his fisherman father. In 1980, a fishing boat manned by his father and six other crewmen capsized in rough waters near the Zhoushan Islands off China’s southeastern coast.
Lee said that his father, who floated at sea for four days, was told by Mazu on the third day that he would be rescued the following day if he maintained his faith.
On the fourth day, he was picked up by a Chinese fishing boat.
From that time on, Lee said, his whole family has worshiped Mazu, and he pledged to take a statue of Mazu with him on his climbs of the world’s 14 highest peaks, all of which are over 8,000m.
He conquered Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, in May 2009 and was later honored by the government of Chiayi County — his home county — for becoming the first Taiwanese mountaineer to have reached the top of Mount Everest accompanied by Mazu.
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