Gongbu (; born 1933), also known as Konbu, Gonbu, or Gonpa, was the eighth person and first

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

to summit

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...

. Gongbu joined the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

in 1956, and joined a mountaineering team in 1958, consisting of both Chinese and Soviet mountaineers. For the next two years, the Chinese government planned a climb of Everest: Gongbu was assigned to logistics and road-building. One Chinese team failed to summit after reaching , Gongbu was assigned to the next team. Finally, in May 1960, the Chinese team with Gongbu managed to perform the first climb of Everest from the north side. Prior expeditions turned back at the Second Step, but Gongbu's team used technical methods to overcome the challenge. After the climb, Gongbu met

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

, and became a deputy director of the Sports Commission of Tibet.

Personal life

He was married to Bai Ma (白玛).

References

{{reflist Tibetan people Chinese summiters of Mount Everest Chinese mountain climbers 1933 births Living people