Namcha Barwa and Nai Peng. Namcha Barwa (7782 meters, 25,531 feet) lies at the eastern tip of the Himalaya entirely in the People’s Republic of China at 29° 37' 51" N, 95°03'31" E. The meaning of the name is “Stones which fell from the Heavens.” There are many legends about it. The local people believe it is the abode of the Gods. On the summit there is the legend that there are seven golden temples. A great variety of animals and flora abound around it. For that reason Chinese climbers and scientists have been interested in studying the region in cooperation with the local people. Reconnaissance and study have been carried out in August 1982, March and April 1983 and April 1984 to investigate not only the fauna and flora and the climate but also to see about climbing possibilities. During April 1983 and 1984 mountain climbers reconnoitered routes on Namcha Barwa. To do this they climbed Nai Peng (7043 meters, 23,107 feet), which lies beside Namcha Barwa. In 1984 they established Base Camp at 3520 meters and Camp I at 4300 meters. On April 18 they climbed Nai Peng’s southwest flank, which was steep and avalanche-prone. They climbed to place Camp II at 5600 meters. On April 21 at 6:25 P.M., seven climbers arrived at the summit. They could see that there were six possible routes on Namcha Barwa, all of them complicated and of mixed snow, ice and rock. The weather in the region is unstable with much fog and clouds.

Zhou Zheng, National Research Institute of Sports Science, China