Mt. Everest

Mt. Everest, also called Mount Qomolangma, is the highest peak in the world. Its Tibetan meaning of
'Goddess the Third' adds more mysterious color and magic power to the subject. Pilgrims trek long distances
to present a pious worship, climbing enthusiasts run great risks to challenge its high altitude and the
common tourists also yearn for a reverent look at this holy peak.

The altitude of Mt. Everest is now about 8,844.43 m. (29,017 ft.). It is the dominant peak of Himalayas, the
northern brae in Dingri County of Tibet and the southern in the Nepal. The area has 4 peaks above 8,000 m.
(26,247 ft.) and 38 peaks above 7,000 m. (22,965 ft.), hence the laudatory title 'the Third Pole of the Earth'.

As the supreme point of the world, Mt. Everest is also blessed with many extreme wonders. The top part of the mountain is covered with snow all
the year round. When the glaring sun shines on the mountain, the peak is just like a white pyramid miraculously transformed by the Goddess,
leading us to imagine her semblance further. More often than not, the thick freely moving clouds and fogs, seeming as if a flag with the mast of the
peak was swinging, will shroud the peak. This peculiar phenomenon of Mt. Everest is known as 'Flag Cloud'. An additional wonder generated here
are the bright glaciers, where ices are formed into various shapes like bridges, pagodas and others.

Looked at from a distance, it always hangs silently on the summit, giving the impression of calmness and beauty.
But in fact, it is just the time when the goddess is in a rage: no expert climbers would dare go near it at this time and
if they meet it en route, they can only retreat, or they will stay on the mountain for life.

In recent years, more and more mountaineers start from the Everest Base Camp trying to conquer the world's highest
peak while tourists trek to the foot of the peak to enjoy its beauty.  It has been a long-cherished dream of countless
mountaineers to climb the Qomolangma Peak.

Since the 18th and 19th centuries, explorers and mountaineers from other countries went to the Qomolangma Peak
to explore its secrets. In the 1920s and 1930s, seven attempts were made by foreign mountaineering teams to climb
Qimolangma via the north face, but all failed. A Chinese mountaineering team conquered the summit from the north
face for the first time in 1960. Even today, it is still a cherished goal of countless mountaineers.