Wangchen, a guide and mountaineering assistant to foreign climbers at Xigaze, said he is excited about the upcoming "mountaineering party."

"Domestic climbers plan to ascend only after they have accumulated funds and arranged time.But foreign climbers have been crazy about mountaineering since they were young," Wangchen said. “They have a stronger desire to get closer to the tops of the mountains. They can quit their jobs in order to do it, or even sell their cars and houses to realize their dreams."

Zhang said there has been a drop in the number of foreign climbers in recent years, with fewer groups made up of citizens from the same nation.

"That wasn't the case in the past, when associations organized people exclusively from their own country for the climbs. Nowadays, we have more groups comprised of different nationalities because of people's different economic situations. Many mountaineers have to turn to other countries to find climbing partners."

About the broadcaster:

Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.

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