During the New Year period this year, five hiking enthusiasts from China set out to cross the “Xiao Ao Tai Line” in Shaanxi Province, but unfortunately, four of them went missing. As of the evening of January 5th, only one person has been rescued, while the other two have been found deceased, and another individual is trapped on a cliff awaiting rescue.
On the night of January 3rd, a family member of one of the team members posted a plea for help on social media, stating that their sister and four other companions entered the “Xiao Ao Tai Line” on the night of January 1st, 2026, at 10 p.m. One person had to descend due to health reasons, leaving the other four missing. The family had already contacted the authorities.
According to sources familiar with the situation speaking to Jiu Pai News, the group of hikers, who had met online, had organized the expedition with a team leader and planned to complete the roughly 40-kilometer Xiao Ao Tai Line in one day. “They were lightly equipped, without tents or sleeping bags, and were lacking sufficient food and warmth provisions.”
Public information shows that the “Ao Tai Line” is a well-known high-difficulty hiking route in mainland China, located in the core area of the Taibai Mountain National Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province. It connects the Qinling Ao Mountain with the Taibai Mountain, spanning over 170 kilometers with an average altitude exceeding 3,200 meters, and subject to complex and unpredictable weather conditions. Based on the route difficulty and the ascending and descending positions, it can be further divided into Xiao Ao Tai, Da Ao Tai, and Standard Ao Tai routes.
On the evening of January 5th, the “Taibai Integrated Media” WeChat public account reported that around 2 a.m. on January 2nd, five out-of-town hikers bypassed a conservation station and illegally ascended from a location about 23 kilometers from Huangbaiyuan Town. By 11 a.m. on January 4th, one of the hikers was rescued and declared to be in good physical condition. Around 4 p.m. on January 5th, the other two missing hikers were located, both showing no signs of life. The final missing hiker slipped and fell off a cliff, but due to the steepness and height of the cliff, rescue team members were unable to reach the spot, with a helicopter still involved in the rescue efforts.
The “Investigation Report on China’s Ao Tai Cross-Country Accidents” indicates that from 2012 to the summer of 2017, in just under five years, a total of 46 hiking enthusiasts have gone missing or died while attempting the Ao Tai Line.