But Yan Yinliang, a Chinese environmentalist, says he would like to see the occasions being used by people to re-think the relationship between humans and nature.

Yan, the director of the Administration of the Qomolangma Nature Preserve in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, says it is no longer fitting to climb the peak of the mammoth mountain or any others scattered around the earth just for the sake of proving one's prowess and in the name of conquest.

"People should have other concerns instead of concentrating on the climbing itself," Yan said.

In a time when environmental problems are already affecting the lives of humans, Yan says a harmonious relationship between us and nature and our endeavour to protect the environment should be highlighted.

Yan said he felt regretful that some people still held onto the concept of conquest.

He was especially disappointed when he heard an anchor woman in a recent TV programme making an analogy that humans will eventually conquer SARS, just as they had conquered Mount Qomolangma 50 years ago.

"SARS is an enemy of the whole world, Qomolangma, a goddess in Tibetans' hearts, should be taken as a friend of the human race," Yan said.

Recalling his epoch-making surmount with Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa, wrote in his book: "Every time I carved another piece, I begged for her forgiveness."

Zhang Mingxing, secretary of the Tibet Mountaineering Association, said it was hard for climbers to bring down all of their supplies from the mountain, especially when they were having health problems or were in danger.

Yan said the preserve has had to employ local residents to clean up the mountain regularly.

The rubbish they collect each year fills up five or six trucks. However, even if all the refuse could be brought down by the climbers and collected by cleaners, Yan says the final treatment of the garbage is still a question yet to be solved.

As regulated by the State Environment Protection Administration of (SEPA), a rubbish treatment plant cannot be built within a preserve.

So the debris can only be transported to other areas far away from the peak, instead of being incinerated or buried.

"The transfer will lead to the piling-up of trash in other areas in the preserve, which of course causes an environmental problem in other areas," Yan said.

"We don't want to see the garbage from Qomolangma form another peak of rubbish."

Yan said the preserve administration was co-ordinating with SEPA on setting up a rubbish treatment centre in a none-core area in the preserve.

"However, there is still the money proble if the plan is permitted, so we need help and support, both from the government and organizations interested in environmental protection," Yan says.

They need about 5 million yuan (US$600,000) to build a treatment depot.

The environmental condition of the preserve was praised by evaluation experts from home and a broad last year.

However, Yan said the environmental problems caused by mountaineering should not be neglected. "Only when everybody, not only we environmental workers and climbers, has an awareness of environmental protection, can we feel relaxed," he said.

Wang Jiaquan is a reporter with China Features

(China Daily May 22, 2003)