Felicitations to Li Shengdao for paragliding off of Everest

KATHMANDU, August 31:Li “Muzi” Shengtao made history on May 18th, 2023, by successfully achieving a paragliding feat from the south col of Mount Everest. A felicitation program was held on Wednesday to commemorate his feat. The event stood as a testament to Li Shengtao's remarkable determination and accomplishment, highlighting his unparalleled achievement in the world of adventure.

The event was jointly organized by Seven Summit Treks, Big Mountain Travels, and Babu Adventure Paragliding in Aloft Kathmandu and saw officials from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Embassy of China, etc.

The joint Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Mr. Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, congratulated Mr. Shengtao for his achievement and believes that feats such as this can allow our peaks to be known throughout the world while preserving and utilizing them to increase revenue. He was overjoyed that this has added a new avenue for tourism in Nepal and looks forward to the Ministry regulating and legalizing it. He clarifies that Tourism is infused in Nepal and that “if tourism ends in Nepal, it’ll end in the world.” He urges the government to analyze and implement the opportunities provided by entrepreneurs and businessmen such as this one.

Mr. Li Shengdao, or “Muzi” to those close to him, nostalgically revisited his first paragliding experience in 2015 in Pokhara, claiming it to be “the best destination to paraglide in the world.” He expressed immense joy in fulfilling his dream of paragliding from Chomolungma,” or Mt. Everest, which combined his love for both paragliding and mountaineering. He believes this to be the culmination of paragliding from 14 peaks above 7000m since 2016 and considers all of his efforts to be well deserved and worth it. He thanked everyone who helped fulfill his dream and promote adventure tourism. He hopes to motivate the young generation in China and promote China-Nepal adventure tourism.

Mr. Wang Dong, a representative from the Chinese embassy, expressed that he was “impressed and inspired by the bravery, professional talent, and courage of “hero” Mr. Shengtao.” He assures that this will boost adventure tourism in Nepal, not just from China but worldwide. He claimed that “the new height of Mt. Everest at 8848.86m is a symbol of luck, as 8 and 6 are considered lucky numbers in China.” He believes that “the dragon boat festival held in June in Nepal, the Asian Games scheduled for September 23rd in China, and other programs will enhance the relations between China and Nepal.”

Senior tourism entrepreneur and conservationist, Mr. Karna Sakya, shared his experiences of 60 years and his outlook regarding the tourism industry in Nepal. He claimed that “Tourism is never-ending and ever-changing.” Hence, he hopes that Nepal can stand as an important beacon in the world if we can introduce new avenues. He believes that Nepal’s altitudinal landscapes are extremely important and are second to none in the world. He also explained that Nepal isn’t limited to just nature; its manpower is commendable. He believes that this feat showcases the superiority of adventure tourism in Nepal.