Shattering female stereotypes at Kilimanjaro

Photo provided to China Daily

"It felt like giving birth. You suffered from pain and fear in the process, but the ultimate happiness at that moment is incomparable," Zhuang Yan, 54, a lawyer and the oldest member in the team, describes the feeling standing at the peak's altitude of 5,900 meters.

Kilimanjaro offers seven different routes for tourists and climbers. Though not as challenging as climbing the Himalayas, the high elevation, low temperature and changeable weather makes climbing the roof of Africa a difficult and dangerous trek.

People who want to climb Kilimanjaro need to ensure that they are physically capable and properly equipped.

Some deaths of climbers have been reported in recent years on Kilimanjaro, most due to hypothermia and rock slides.

"For us, the biggest challenge was not the mountain but ourselves, our confidences to meet the challenge in our ages," Wang says. "I hadn't climbed any mountain except the Fragrant Hill (in Beijing) 10 years ago."

"People often say that climbing Kilimanjaro is not very hard, but we must be well-prepared."

"I read Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro, but I refused almost any sport, let alone climbing up one of the highest mountains," says Qin Lei, a TV producer .

The 12 women took up jogging and swimming, and received physical training from professional climbers since September 2013.

Besides the physical challenge, they had to persuade their worried family members.

"My daughter begged me to think over about my decision, and she even sent me a long letter to persuade me to quit," says Zhuang Yan, who became ill with tonsillitis before leaving for Tanzania.