Scaling new heights of popularity

"This year, seven new routes were set in the cave, and two of them are still on my list to tackle. I hope to return and take on those next time," said Song Xiao, a 29-year-old outdoor climbing enthusiast, standing at the entrance of Chuanshang Cave, which is located in Southwest China's Guizhou province.

This marks Song's second consecutive year climbing at the site, drawn to the unique natural features and technical demands of the routes.

Chuanshang Cave, part of the Getu River Scenic Area in Ziyun county, Anshun city of Guizhou province, is a massive natural cavern measuring 50 meters high, 70 meters wide and 137 meters long.

Perched high on a mountainside, the cave appears as a gaping hole, naturally bored into the rock over the course of millennia.

Below it lies an even larger cave, Dachuan Cave, that reaches 116m in height, 25m in width and stretches for 270m.

The two are connected by a tunnel, forming a unique "cave-within-a-cave" structure.

The Getu River area, with its intricate karst landscape, offers over 270 developed climbing routes ranging in difficulty from 5A to 9A+. This region is also known for its generations of Miao ethnic "spidermen" or goro in the Miao dialect, who traditionally practiced free solo climbing to collect swallow nests and fertilizer from cliff faces. This centuries-old skill, once essential for survival, has now evolved into a cultural performance at the scenic area.

As Song and other climbers scaled Chuanshang Cave with safety equipment, Wang Mingde, the 35-year-old son of a renowned local spiderman, performed unprotected solo climbs in Dachuan Cave below. While the goro tradition faces challenges in inheritance, the growing popularity of modern sport climbing offers a new pathway for preserving these skills.

Song, a champion in natural wall climbing from Sichuan province, was first captivated by outdoor climbing at age 20. Over the past eight years, he has competed across China and now works as a coach at five climbing gyms in Chengdu.

"The number of climbers has surged in the last two years," he noted, adding that the sport attracts people of all ages and professions who start in gyms before venturing outdoors.

The rise of climbing events has also boosted the sport's profile. In September 2024, Song returned to Getu River for a series of climbing competitions, where he met young athletes from over 20 countries and regions, including the United States, Australia and Chile, for the 2024 IFSC Climbing Youth World Championships.

An American climber named Juliet, who attempted multiple routes with her mother and coach Tiffany, described the cave as "diverse, challenging and ideal for improving skills", while praising the stunning scenery.

As one of China's most typical karst regions, Guizhou has actively promoted itself as a hub for mountain sports, hosting international climbing events like last month's 2025 IFSC Asian Youth Championships and the upcoming Guiyang leg of the 2025 IFSC Climbing World Cup on Sept 12-13.

"At a climbing base in the city of Liupanshui, I even saw groups of enthusiasts in their 50s and 60s from South Korea waiting in line to climb," Song said. "The competition-driven momentum in Guizhou is undeniable."

Having also participated in the recently concluded 2025 "Climbing Week" event, Song emphasized that such activities provide more opportunities for climbers and play a key role in popularizing the sport.

"The allure of natural wall climbing lies in the dialogue between humans and nature, and in continually pushing one's limits," he said.

Xinhua