BEIJING (SCMP): A 43-year-old from the mainland, known as the “Chinese Spider-Woman”, has captivated onlookers with her remarkable ability to climb cliffs exceeding 100m in height without gloves or safety gear.
Luo Dengpin, hailing from Ziyun Miao and Buyei autonomous county in Guizhou province, southwestern China, is recognised as the world’s only female practitioner of the ancient Miao tradition of bare-handed rock climbing.
She skilfully ascends a 108-metre-high cliff - the equivalent of a 30-storey building - effortlessly navigating nearly vertical rock faces, earning her the nickname reminiscent of a famous cartoon superhero.
Her exceptional skill is rooted in the ancient Miao practice of cliff burials.
Luo is a descendant of the Miao people who inhabit remote and mountainous regions in China and believe high-altitude burials provide shelter for the deceased. - Weibo
The Miao people, who traditionally inhabit remote and mountainous regions, believed that high-altitude burials allow the deceased to “look towards their ancestral homeland” in central China.
They also viewed boat-shaped coffins as symbols of hope for souls seeking to return home after death.
Practical reasons also played a role in these burials: interring the dead in cliffs preserved precious farmland and protected bodies from scavenging wildlife.
Over time, the Miao people have continued to hone their bare-handed climbing skills, a tradition passed down through generations.
Currently, however, Luo stands as the only female among the region’s “spider people”.
She began rock climbing at the age of 15, guided by her father.
Initially, her motivation stemmed from a desire to compete with boys and earn a living by collecting medicinal herbs and gathering bird droppings from swallows’ nests on cliffs, which served as fertiliser.
“They said this was only for boys, but I believe men and women are equal, so I learned. That is how my journey as a spider woman began,” Luo shared in a 2017 interview with the BBC.
“Before this area was developed, I climbed every day to collect swallows’ droppings. We would scale 108 metres. Foreigners were often frightened by our bare-handed climbing, but I grew accustomed to it. After doing it so many times, my hands became calloused,” she recounted in a recent interview with Shandong TV.
Mastering this technique requires not only physical strength but also significant skill; the challenging task of gathering medicinal herbs can take four to five hours.
Today, the collection of swallows’ droppings for fertiliser is no longer necessary, transforming her skills into a form of entertainment for tourists.
“Many visitors wanted to see how we gathered the herbs and paid us to demonstrate. My income isn’t high, but I take pride in being a spider woman,” Luo stated.
Luo once left her hometown in search of work but returned in 2000 to marry and start a family.
Her story has inspired many observers online in China.
“People in the past were truly capable of everything. Cliffs and steep mountains did not deter them from exploration,” remarked one commenter.
“Kudos to the brave spider woman. Women are just as capable as men, and true masters live among the people,” another added. - South China Morning
