A blind man has won worldwide praise by successfully climbing Mount Everest.
Zhang Hong, 46, from Chongqing, in southwest China, climbed to the summit of the world's tallest mountain in just three days, having begun his monumental journey from Everest's base camp on May 24 and reaching the summit on May 27, per CNN.
Three high-altitude guides helped him to climb the 8,849m peak and avoid countless hazards along the notoriously dangerous route.
Watch Zang reach the summit of Everest in the video below:In an interview with Reuters, Zhang said: "I was still very scared because I couldn't see where I was walking, and I couldn't find my center of gravity, so sometimes I would fall.
"But I kept thinking because even though it was hard, I had to face those difficulties, this is one component of climbing, there are difficulties and dangers and this is the meaning of climbing."
Zhang lost his vision when he was just 21 years old to glaucoma, but he decided that he was going to learn how to climb regardless thanks to the influence of Erik Weihenmayer - an American who became the first blind person to ever climb Everest in 2001.
The 46-year-old was taught how to climb by his friend and mountain guide, Qiang Zi.
At the time, Weihenmayer was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine to celebrate his achievement.
The magazine wrote: "There is no way to put what Erik has done in perspective because no one has ever done anything like it. It is a unique achievement, one that in the truest sense pushes the limits of what man is capable of."
Zhang is hoping that, like Weihenmayer, the fact that he was able to climb Everest will show people that they can do anything they put their minds to.
He said: "No matter if you're disabled or normal, whether you have lost your eyesight or you have no legs or hands, it doesn't matter as long as you have a strong mind, you can always complete a thing that other people say you can’t."
People across the globe flocked to social media to praise Zhang for completing the climb. One Twitter user wrote: "What an incredible achievement..!!"
A second added: "Wow !! That's phenomenal. So so inspiring! Congratulations."
A third wrote: "A human can do anything whatever he wants to. Zhang Hong is one of them who has scaled Mount Everest with his blind eyes. This is the first Asian who achieved this credit. More power to you man."
Zhang's journey to the summit of Everest was made all the more significant by the fact that he was one of the first foreigners to make the journey after Nepal closed its borders because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.