STORY: Vibrant Plateau: Chinese paraglider flies over the top of the world
SHOOTING TIME: Earlier footages
DATELINE: June 27, 2024
LENGTH: 00:07:08
LOCATION: LHASA, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/SPORTS

STORYLINE:
   
Voice on site:
"Okay, okay. Everything is OK."

On May 18, 2023, Li Shengtao successfully glided off Mt. Qomolangma's South Col from an altitude of about 8,000 meters to the base camp area on the Nepali side.

He became the first Chinese to accomplish this remarkable feat.

Voice of Li Shengtao, Chinese paraglider 
"In May 2023, I successfully flew a paraglider over Mt. Qomolangma. At that moment, it felt as if I touched the sky."
"No matter how high you fly, you always need to go back home. By the end of 2023, I returned to Lhasa."

Over the past ten years, Li Shengtao has run a camp to promote the sport of paragliding in Xizang.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Hi, Xinyu."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHENG XINYU, Paragliding enthusiast
"Here is for you."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Thanks. It's the magazine that covers my stories. I almost forget it. Let me show you the oxygen tank designed for climbing, which I mentioned yesterday. Feel how light it is."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): CHENG XINYU, Paragliding enthusiast
"It's so light."

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Yes. It's developed by our Chinese."

SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): CHENG XINYU, Paragliding enthusiast
"It's so light, even lighter than the 4-liter medical ones."

The flight over Mt. Qomolangma has provided Li with a lot of insights, particularly regarding oxygen equipment for extreme outdoor sports. With his firsthand experience, Li has been involved in developing more specialized gear for paragliding enthusiasts.

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"When I was flying over Mt. Qomolangma, I saw many Sherpa climbing guides and foreign climbers watching my flight from outside the base camp tents. At that moment, I felt very proud to be Chinese."

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"In a couple of days, I'll take you to Yamdrok Lake for paragliding training. We can invite Dekyi to join us."

SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): CHENG XINYU, Paragliding enthusiast
"I'd like to."

Chagyoi Village, located on the northern shore of Yamdrok Lake, sits at an average altitude of more than 4,500 meters. Over 130 kilometers away from downtown Lhasa, Li's paragliding training base is situated here.

SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Take a seat. Long time no see."

Dekyi, a Tibetan girl, runs a coffee shop by Yamdrok Lake. As the coffee shop closes for the winter, she was eager for a new venture. 

SOUNDBITE 11 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"(Dekyi) is about to become the first paraglider in Chagyoi Village."

SOUNDBITE 12 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"OK. Get ready to start. Speed up. Run. Very good."
"Dekyi, come here. Gear up. Fasten the leg loops. Take steps forward before you start running. When you run forward, you will feel the force of the wind. Make sure that you are standing right in the middle of the parachute. Every time before we depart, we must stand right in the middle. The wind direction has changed. Wait a minute!"
"Dekyi, we are now waiting for the wind."
      
SOUNDBITE 13 (Chinese): DEKYI
"Okay."
   
SOUNDBITE 14 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Well, here comes the wind. Get ready. Speed up." 

SOUNDBITE 15 (Chinese): DEKYI
"Roger."

SOUNDBITE 16 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Run as fast as you can. Go! Stretch your arms. Very good! Release. Very good! Let go, put your hands back, that's right. Very good. You see, a natural talent. She looks like she was born to fly a parachute, even knowing how to brake. Arms up, and lean forward. That's right, very good. Just like that. Very good. How did you know how to brake? What a clever paraglider!"

SOUNDBITE 17 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"How did you feel about your last flight?"
   
SOUNDBITE 18 (Chinese): DEKYI
"A little bit scared, as it was my first flight after all. But once up there, it was just beautiful. I saw scenes I'd never seen in my lifetime, and I felt a kind of freedom I've never felt before."
"My parents are working in the farmland. Will they see me flying later?"

SOUNDBITE 19 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Let's fly over the village and land there. They'll be thrilled."
   
The practice went incredibly smoothly. Li was amazed by Dekyi's talent. But when Dekyi flew into the sky, she felt afraid.

SOUNDBITE 20 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Okay, let go, let go."

SOUNDBITE 21 (Chinese): DEKYI
"Shall I run?"
   
SOUNDBITE 22 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Yes, start to run and speed up."
"Lean back."

SOUNDBITE 23 (Chinese): DEKYI
"I am scared."

SOUNDBITE 24 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Lean back and sit."
   
SOUNDBITE 25 (Chinese): DEKYI
"I am scared."

SOUNDBITE 26 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Sit. Just sit."

SOUNDBITE 27 (Chinese): DEKYI
"I can't."

SOUNDBITE 28 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Lean back."
"Very good! Now I'm flying over Yamdrok Lake with Dekyi."
   
Li's passion for paragliding started in Xizang. And now, he wants to give back this kind of emotion to the people here, allowing them to experience the joy that paragliding brings.

SOUNDBITE 29 (Chinese): DEKYI
"That's cool."
   
SOUNDBITE 30 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"OK, stop and keep your footing."
"Keep practicing, and when you're good at flying next year, I'll give you a parachute as a gift."

SOUNDBITE 31 (Chinese): DEKYI
"Great."

SOUNDBITE 32 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"At that time you can take your own parachute and fly anywhere. I hope you will be the first female paraglider in your village soon."

SOUNDBITE 33 (Chinese): DEKYI
"Then I could see the lake from sky."

SOUNDBITE 34 (Chinese): LI SHENGTAO, Chinese paraglider
"Of course. You can fly over the lake."

This is the best era. The vibrant plateau blesses everyone who aims for higher in the sky.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lhasa, China.
(XHTV)