Yandang Mountain: Climbers face ordeal at eastern China’s Yandang Mountain. Here’s what happened

Eastern China’s Yandang Mountain witnessed some tense moments earlier this week, as climbers, who were in large numbers, were found stuck for more than an hour, clinging on to just their ropes. The images of these climbers clinging on to their ropes as they waited for other climbers ahead of them to proceed along the via ferrata (route along which the metal rungs are secured to the mountain and which assists the climbers) went viral on social media in China.
This incident is reported to have taken place due to overcrowding along the via ferrata. Many Chinese netizens expressed their shock as the images went viral.

Wenzhou Dingcheng Sports Development Co. Ltd, the company which manages the via ferrata stated that they had underestimated the number of people seeking to climb the mountain and attributed the mismanagement to the swelling crowd.

In a statement issued by the company, it said: “Due to our misjudgment of how many customers would come, the lack of effective traffic controls such as a ticket reservation system, and shortcomings in onsite management, customers were blocked and trapped on the climbing route”.

In China, the first week of May often results in a large number of tourists visiting this mountain. It is the labor-day holiday. Yandang mountain is situated along the eastern coast of China. It has a core area of 186 kms. It is situated in the Yueqing City, Wenzhou in the south-east of Zhejiang province. In recent times, tourist sites across the world including Venice in Italy have experienced massive overcrowding due to tourist inflow. The overcrowding in many destinations has renewed the demand to promote sustainable tourism.

FAQs:

Is Yandang mountain an UNESCO World Heritage site?
The nomination for the addition of this site in the UNESCO World Heritage Site was submitted in the year 2001. Presently, it continues to remain on the tentative list of the UN Cultural body.

What is referred to as the ‘three perfections in Yandang Mountain’?
The Lingfeng Peak, Lingyan Craig and Dalongqiu waterfalls are collectively referred to as the Three Perfections of the Yandang Mountain. This is due to the scenic beauty of these sites.