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InChina,peoplearehiring‘climbingbuddies’forbigmoney.Themoreattractivetheyare,thehigherthepriceДевушкиповызовувИзраилеWendyChendecidedtochallengeherselfbyclimbingMountTai,awell-knownmountainineasternChina.Buttherewasoneobstacleinherway:shecouldn’tfindafriendtojoinherforthefive-hourtrek.Ratherthanforgoherplans,the25-year-oldhireda“climbingbuddy,”ayoungmanwithextensiveoutdoorexperience,toaccompanyandsupporthertothe5,000-footpeak.KnowninChineseas“peipa”(meaning“accompanytoclimb”),theseareyoungChinesemenwhojoinstrangersontheirjourneysuppopularmountainsforaprice.Thetrendhasgainedmomentumthisyear,ashashtagsrelatedto“climbingbuddy”havehadover100millionviewsonChinesesocialmedia.Young,athleticindividuals,oftenuniversitystudentsorevenmilitaryveterans,advertisethemselvesonsocialmediaplatformslikeXiaohongshuandDouyin,withprofilesfeaturingtheirheight,fitnesslevelandhikingexperience.Theyusuallychargebetween200to600yuan($30to$85)pertrip.Duringtheclimb,these“buddies”willdoanythingtodistracttheirclientsfromfeelingexhaustedandpushthemtokeepgoing:fromsinging,tellingjokes,playingmusic,verbalencouragement,goingsofarascarryingtheirbags,holdingtheirhands,andpullingthem.AdayonthemountainChenandherclimbingbuddy’sadventurebeganataround8:00pmsoshecouldarriveatthepeakintimeforthefamoussunrise.Afterassessingherfitnesslevel,herclimbingbuddyplannedamoderaterouteandcarriedherbackpackthewholeway.Whentheyfacedchillingwindsatthepeak,Chen’sclimbingbuddyrentedathickcoatforherwhiledirectinghertoawalledshelter.Atthemomentthesunrose,Chen’sclimbingbuddywasalreadypreparedwithanationalflagandotherpropssothatshecouldtakeamemorablephoto.Thoughshefelthisphotographyskillsstillhadroomtoimprove,sheratedherclimbingbuddyas“satisfactory.”Theservicecosther350yuan($49).ThoughChenpaidatypicalpriceforaclimbingbuddy,sheacknowledgesthatmoregood-lookingbuddiescancommandhigherrates.“Attractivenessisalsopartoftheirstrength,”shesays.Climbingbuddies’maincustomerstendtobesingleyoungwomen,butthat’sslowlychanging.Avideoofastrongmaleuniversitystudentcarryingathree-year-oldeffortlesslyupasteepmountainwhilethetoddler’smothertrailedfarbehindwentviralthissummer. |
