By the middle of the 1920s the farthest corners of the earth had already been explored: the continents and the oceans had been mapped, the North and South Poles had been reached, and the origins of the world's major rivers had been discovered. All that was left to be conquered was the "third pole", the highest mountain on earth, Mount Qomolangma. Some suggested it could not be accomplished. At that time, going to Mount Qomolangma was like going to the moon.

　　Climbing at such high altitudes requires great skill and is not without risk. Apart from the cold, thin air and low oxygen levels can cause mountain sickness, which can kill. Some people can never go above 4,000 metres because their body is unable to adjust to these extreme conditions. Above about 5,200 metres, in the "death zone", humans can only survive for a couple of days, even with extra oxygen.

　　The Tibetans have lived in the Himalayas for centuries and have adjusted to the conditions at such a great height. To them, the mountains were sacred, and they would not climb them for that reason. When Westerners came to climb Mount Qomolangma, the Sherpas, who live in Tibet, northern India and Nepal, acted as guides. From the first British Qomolangma expedition in 1921, Sherpa strength, skill, honesty and dedication have made them ideal companions on the mountain. Every Qomolangma expedition since then has relied on Sherpa support.

　　One of the first foreign expeditions to climb Mount Qomolangma arrived in Tibet in 1921. They had no idea what they were up against. Two British expeditions made the attempt in 1922 and 1924, but failed to reach the top. The local Tibetans and Sherpas laughed at the strange bottles containing what they referred to as "English air". In 1924 two British men were lost. When their oxygen ran out, they had no chance of surviving. After World War Ⅱ, technological advances in clothing and equipment had been made, and more was known about the mountain itself, which by now had been flown over several times by aircraft. The New Zealander Edmund Hillary and the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, as members of a British team, were the first to make it to the summit of Mount Qomolangma. They reached the top on May 29, 1953.

　　In later years the question arose who was the first to reach the top. Whenever he was asked, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay's answer was, "We climbed as a team, period." Like winning in the Olympic Games, climbing a mountain such as Mount Qomolangma is a great personal achievement. Climbing the mountain is still one of man's greatest challenges. After 1953 several hundred people have succeeded in climbing the mountain, some to be the first of their nation and many in attempts to climb the mountain over different slopes.

　　The Chinese made their first successful attempt in 1960. On May 25 of that year, Gongbu, Wang Fuzhou and Qu Yinhua reached the summit of Mount Qomolangma. As it was dark and they were unable to take photos to prove that they had reached the top, they left an iron container with the national flag and a portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong. At the age of 25, Qu Yinhua was the youngest ever to have reached the summit. On their return, they were praised as national heroes. On May 27, 1975, another Chinese team climbed Mount Qomolangma from its northern side. Over the past 40 years, 29 other Chinese people have climbed Mount Qomolangma successfully.