Tibetannet

The special premiere for China’s first documentary film about climbing MountQomolangma, "The Himalayan Ladder", was held at Yangbajain at an altitude of 4,300 meters, on Oct.2. The official release of the movie is expected to be on the 16th at cinemas nationwide.

Production for "The Himalayan Ladder" lasted four years and it is the first ultra-high definition documentary film to record the entire journey up Mount Qomolangma. The camera focuses on a group of young Tibetan mountain guides and their team and records their lives as they climb Mount Qomolangma.

According to reports, the film’s name derives from the portrayal of the numerous white ladders etched into the Tibetan mountain rocks. Tibetan Buddhists believe that the "ladder" can escort people’s souls to Sukhavati. In line with surging up high mountains, Mount Qomolangma becomes the Holy Land and these young mountain guides and their team play the role of the "ladder" for future climbers.

The filmmaker, Lei Jianjun, said that the young guides from farming areas and their accompanying team from the mountains, after they studied at mountaineering school in Tibet, went back to pursue a career in the high altitudes of the Himalayas. They changed their destiny and fulfilled their dreams. The film also depicts Tibet changing with every day.

Deputy Director of the Tibet Autonomous Region Sports Bureau said that the production team overcame a number of difficulties in order to reveal the hardships of high-altitude climbing, as well as the bravery and commitment of the climbers. The release of this film realized the dream of Tibetan mountaineers.

It is understood that the film also achieved a number of breakthroughs in film history: it is the first time that a tripod has successfully reached the summit of the Earth (Qomolangma); it is the first time filming has taken place at an altitude of 7,000 meters; and it is the first time using aerial photography at an altitude of 6,500 meters.