A recent news piece on BBC Capital shared the story of Luo Dengping, otherwise known as 'China's Spiderwoman.' Scottish photographer and filmmaker Christopher Cherry lives and works in Beijing and travelled to the sport climbing hotspot of Getu valley in Guizhou province to document Miss Luo's extraordinary line of work.
Miss Luo is a member of the Miao minority group, for whom climbing has been a cultural custom and a means of survival for centuries. Initially, members of the Miao group soloed up the limestone cliffs to lay the coffins of their deceased relatives to rest. Later, the group collected herbs to sell as medicines and gathered swallow dung for fertilizer. However, the income generated from this ancient practice has dwindled over time, as Western medicine gradually takes precedence over traditional Chinese medicine.
In a modern twist, today's climbers of the group have been hired by the local tourist board and now earn their income by performing climbing displays for tourists, which has proved more fruitful than their previous occupation and allows locals to earn a living in their home village instead of moving to a city.
'They said this was only for boys. But I think men and women are equal, so I came here to learn.'
- SKILLS: Top Tips for Learning to Sport Climb Outdoors 22 Apr
- INTERVIEW: Albert Ok - The Speed Climbing Coach with a Global Athlete Team 17 Apr
- SKILLS: Top 10 Tips for Making the Move from Indoor to Outdoor Bouldering 24 Jan
- ARTICLE: International Mountain Day 2023 - Mountains & Climate Science at COP28 11 Dec, 2023
- ARTICLE: Did Downclimbing Apes help Evolve our Ultra-Mobile Human Arms? 5 Dec, 2023
- ARTICLE: Dàna - Scotland's Wild Places: Scottish Climbing on the BBC 10 Nov, 2023
- INTERVIEW: Loki's Mischief: Leo Houlding on his Return to Mount Asgard 23 Oct, 2023
- INTERVIEW: BMC CEO Paul Davies on GB Climbing 24 Aug, 2023
- ARTICLE: Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Sport Climbing Qualification and Scoring Explainer 26 Jul, 2023
- INTERVIEW: Malcolm Bass on Life after Stroke 8 Jun, 2023
Comments