An 81-year-old retired man from Fuping, Baoding, Hebei Province, named Zhao Jichen, has drawn attention for spending 11 years and his own money to construct a nearly ten-thousand-step “sky ladder” on the nearby Shenshen Mountain in his hometown.
Zhao Jichen, a resident of Pingfang Village, Taiyu Township, Fuping County, Hebei, retired from the tax bureau in 2014. In a fortuitous encounter, he came across a book discussing the profound connection between Shenshen Mountain and the culture of Beiyue.
Intrigued by this, he made multiple visits to Shenshen Mountain and realized that besides its unique landscapes, the mountain carries a thousand years of North Beiyue culture and the ancient emperor worship culture.
As the mountain roads were rugged and difficult to traverse, many attractions were hidden among cliffs and precipices. With the passage of time, some cultural relics were gradually buried under dust. Zhao felt that “this mountain is a ‘golden mountain’ that should not be left unattended.”
In 2015, in his twilight years, Zhao embarked on the arduous “mountain restoration project.” Without any financial support, he used his retirement savings and even borrowed money from relatives and friends, totaling over one million Chinese yuan.
Over the course of 11 years, he led hired local villagers to travel dozens of kilometers daily, walk on plank roads, descend cliffs, explore mysteries, and in the deep valleys, he built nearly ten thousand steps of stone stairs using rocks, connecting over thirty natural landscapes scattered on the mountain. He even gave each feature a name.
However, in July 2025, a massive flood washed away most of the nearly ten thousand steps and the majority of the roadbeds, destroying the labor and capital investments he had made over the years.
Fortunately, the core landscapes on the cliffs survived. Shortly after the flood receded in October 2025, he hired workers to start repairing the temporary path.
Although the road has not fully recovered yet, he has started planning for the preliminary opening in the coming spring, free of charge, to allow more people to visit, provide feedback, and continue the inheritance of the Beiyue culture.
Regarding his efforts, many netizens praised him as the “foolish spirit of the new era.” Some commended his fulfilling life at the age of 81, mentioning that he had strengthened his body and lived a more meaningful life compared to those playing mahjong or square dancing every day. Still, some netizens expressed concerns, fearing that he might be criticized for damaging the ecological environment.