On May 4th, 1975, a swearing-in ceremony for joining the Chinese Communist Party took place at the highest-altitude ever, on the peak of Mt. Qomolangma. Guisang, a young female hiker, became a member of the Party on that day.

Fifty-nine-year-old Guisang was born in a liberated-serf family in  Lab Township of Namling County in Tibet. She has twice reached the peak of Mt. Qomolangma and climbed countless other mountains, and is a renowned hiker around the world. Though she has long said good bye to mountain hiking, she would often remember her experience hiking the mountain 41 years ago. 

In 1975, during that legendary hike of Mt. Qomolangma, she lost the chance to become the first female hiker in the world to reach the peak of Mt. Qomolangma by just one step. But, her swearing-in ceremony made her proud: “I joined the Party on Mt. Qomolangma.”

Guisang was originally a nurse at the General Hospital of Tibet Military Region. She was transferred to the National Hiking Team in 1974. In the spring of 1975, she was selected for the commando team for the national team’s second hike of Mt. Qomolangma. In March of 1975, she filed her Party membership application at the basecamp of Mt. Qomolangma.

Guisang is still emotional as she remembers that moment from 41 years ago. At around 5 pm on that day, at the Number Six camp of Mt. Qomolangma, at 8200 meters altitude, the sky was bright and the day was sunny. On the spectacular peak of Mt. Qomolangma, on top of a narrow stretch of yellow rock, two hikers held up a vivid flag of the Chinese Communist Party.

Guisang, an 18-year-old hiker at the time, raised her right fist to read aloud the vow for joining the Party as guided by Coach Wu Zongyue. The audience congratulated her with cheers of “Tashi Delek”!

"I was more motivated to hike after joining the party, I had to reach the peak no matter what!” Guisang said her rapid acceptance into the Party was a show of the Party’s confidence in her, as well as an honor. She swore that she had to reach the top of Mt. Qomolangma, Unfortunately, after hiking 8600 meters, she had to retreat due to injury.

Talking about the failure 40 years later, a thin Guisang shook her head. “It was so unfortunate that time. I feel that I didn’t fulfill my promise I made when I joined the party.” She swore to herself that she would make her words come true one day and realize her dream. It would take another 15 years.

In 1990, China, the US and the former Soviet Union formed a joint hiking team for Mt. Qomolangma. Guisang was picked as the only female Chinese hiker. Still haunted by her failure in 1975, Guisang was under a lot of pressure. “I was older, and I wasn’t sure I could reach the peak. I was afraid to make China lose face if I failed.”

The hike was easier than Guisang imagined. The weather and hiking gear was better than the previous attempt. On May 9th, 1990, Guisang hiked the peak of Mt. Qomolangma, realizing her promise from 15 years ago.

Later on, she also hiked Mt. Cho Oyu and Mt. Shishapangma, two mountains over 8000 meters. She also re-hiked Mt. Qomolangma in 1999, lighting the flame for the 6th Annual National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities at the world’s highest point.

During both of her successful hikes of Mt. Qomolangma, Guisang always stopped at the spot for the swearing-in ceremony to look for the rock which witnessed the moment. She is still as emotional as she was then. “Everything from that moment helped motivate me to overcome all the challenges of hiking.”