Boy Climbs Taiwan’s Tallest Mountain to Keep a Promise to His Late Mom

Tzou Ze Gang, along with his father and two other family friends, set off on their two-day climbing adventure on August 18. The boy brought a portrait of his late mother to carry her to the top with him.

The group managed to reach the peak of Yu Shan (Jade Mountain) on August 20, according to a Facebook post detailing their journey, Mothership reported.

Standing at 3,952 meters (12,966 feet) above sea level, Jade Mountain is regarded as the highest mountain in Taiwan.

Tzou was only 4 years old when he first heard of Jade Mountain from his mother. For the locals, the mountain is believed to be the home of the Goddess of Life and Immortality, the Queen Mother of the West, Mashable noted.

The boy became fascinated by the story and promised his mother that they will both climb it one day. However, years later, his mother had to undergo leg surgery, which made her unable to climb the mountain.

“When you explore the world in the future, you can bring Mummy’s things along,” his mother told him.

Unfortunately, she passed away last year.

Tzou’s father helped motivate the child during their training by saying, “Yu Shan is the highest point in Taiwan, I’m sure we’ll be closer to Mummy over there.”

The climb proved to be difficult for Tzou. In the post, his father said the boy felt dizziness, showed signs of breathlessness and nausea at times even after resting. He felt much better when they were on their last lap, adding that the final 200 meters (656 feet) were “a piece of cake” for him.

Upon reaching the top, Tzou pulled out his mother’s portrait and shouted, “Mummy! We’ve reached the top, I carried you to the peak of Jade Mountain!”

Tzou had fulfilled his mother’s wish 591 days after she passed away.

Images via Facebook / 鄒品為