"Most clients are foreigners," says Dilks. "I think a lot of Chinese people still look upon rock climbing as a dangerous sport, and are not into it as much as foreigners. We do get a few Chinese, mostly people in their 20s and 30s who are open to try new things."

But the interest among the Chinese is growing, as was evident at last year's Rock Climbing Festival. The fest was organized by North Face and Black Diamond, two companies that produce outdoor sports gear, and the three-day event brought together a couple of hundred climbers for competition and camaraderie.

"We had climbers from 15 countries as well as climbers from half of China's provinces attend the festival last year," says Ryan Gellert, managing director of Black Diamond Equipment Asia, whose offices are based in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. "I think we succeeded in organizing an event that has promoted rock climbing and also raised money for the sport's sustainable development in Yangshuo. We are now finalizing plans for the 2009 event, which will be better than the first fest."

Gellert talks passionately about the potential of rock climbing in China. The popularity of the sport, he says, is growing and he estimates that there are now about 75 professional Chinese rock climbers - people who make their income from climbing, whether from competitions or guiding or other activities. Gellert himself has been climbing widely in China, most recently in Kanas in Xinjiang and the wild mountains of Sichuan.

"China is one of the largest and most geographically diverse countries in the world," he says. "It possesses world-class rock, ice and alpine climbing with nearly unlimited potential for further development. I believe very strongly in the steady growth of outdoor sports generally and rock climbing specifically, in China."

(China Daily March 13, 2009)