Man took just 5 days to climb China’s ‘5 great mountains’ during Labour Day holiday
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Mount Tai, also known as Mount Taishan, in Shandong, is one of the "Five Great Mountains".
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
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A 30-year-old man in China climbed the country’s “Five Great Mountains” during the five-day Labour Day holiday.
The man, identified as Mr Zhang by the Chinese media, spent about a month planning his trip and relied only on China’s extensive public transport network.
The five-day trip cost him 4,000 yuan (S$768).
His itinerary went viral on Chinese social media platforms, said the Global Times in a report on Sunday. It was not stated how his itinerary ended up on social media.
“The five peaks are the most famous ones among China’s mountains, so I decided to see these five first,” said Mr Zhang in an interview with local media.
“I checked the train schedule and realised that China’s transportation system is actually quite good and that it is possible to complete this quest (in five days). So I decided to go.”
The “Five Great Mountains” are Taishan, in Shandong; Huashan, in Shaanxi; Hengshan, in Hunan; Songshan, in Henan; and Mount Heng in Shanxi.
Mr Zhang, a avid hiker who works in Chengdu, Sichuan province, left the city on April 28, a day before the start of the holiday, which was from April 29 to May 3.
His first stop was Huanan’s Hengshan, which he reached by flying to the provincial capital of Changsha before boarding a standard train to Hengshan station.
He then took a high-speed train back to Changsha, where he boarded an overnight train to Zhengzhou in Henan to climb Songshan.
On April 30, Mr Zhang rode a high-speed train to Tai’an in Shandong to hike up Taishan.
He then made a transfer in Beijing and took an overnight train to Datong in Shanxi province to climb Mount Heng.
Mr Zhang’s final stop was Huashan and he left the mountain on May 3.
Mr Zhang planned his adventure “down to every single minute” to avoid missing any train and ensure his trip went smoothly, according to Global Times.
The intensity of the trip was not a problem for him as he hikes regularly and runs marathons, said the report, adding that the most difficult part for Mr Zhang was buying a ticket in time.
“The travel rush was so fierce that I got the ticket from Changsha to Zhengzhou only on the day of departure,” he said.
Mr Zhang told the Chinese media that he trained hard to ensure that he was fit.
“I would have given up completing all five peaks if I was not physically able to do it, but I did it with some perseverance,” he added.
