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[1]

1986 Sino-US Upper Yangtze River Expedition
Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the most challenging rapids on the route
SponsorGeneral Administration of Sport of China

National Geographic Society

Mutual of Omaha
CountryUnited States
China
LeaderKen Warren
StartSource of Yangtze, Tibet
EndYibin, Sichuan
GoalRafting the upper reaches of the Yangtze
Fatalities10

In 1986, several parties competed to be the first to ever raft the upper reaches of the Yangtze (Jinsha River). The goal was to raft from the source of the Yangtze to Yibin, a city 1,900 km downstream.[1][2] In total, 10 people would die during their attempts.

Background

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The expedition with the aim of conquering the full length of the Yangtze rafting was first announced by American rafter Ken Warren. In 1976 he had successfully led a team to be the first to navigate the headwaters of the Ganges.[3] However, among the Chinese public there was concern as to why an expedition of foreign rafters were allowed to be the first to conquer the mythical river. Faced with the criticism, the organization also attracted some Chinese rafters to their team.[4]

Warren and his wife Jan had already attempted to start the Yangtze expedition in 1983, but authorities revoked permission when the team was already in Chengdu.[3] A different source claims that the Warren's were swindled of their money by a Hong Kong man whom he had entrusted to handle all necessary paperwork.[5] Regardless, the Warrens were forced to cancel their expedition, and had to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.[3] In 1984 and 1985, the Warrens attempted again, but were unable to gather sufficient funding for the required permit.[6] In the meantime, the team trained for their expedition on the Middle Fork of the Salmon, Snake, Rogue and Owyhee rivers in the Northwestern US.[5][7]

When the event was announced, several Chinese rafters sought to independently beat the Sino-American crew on being the first to complete this route. In 1985, Chinese photographer Yao Maoshu (zh:尧茂书) died 1,270 km in as he attempted to complete it alone.[4][8] His death only motivated more Chinese to complete the expedition before the American team could. A commentary in Sichuan Daily wrote:

Nobody would accept the Americans conquering the Chinese mother river ahead of a Chinese team.

Besides fearing others would break the world record, the rafters were also motivated to finish their expedition as soon as possible, because a number of dams would be constructed along the Yangtze within the coming years.[9]

Finally, in 1986, the expedition received approval of the State Council. State-affiliated Chinese company China Sports Services Co., and several American organizations, including the National Geographic Society and Mutual of Omaha would sponsor the expedition. Besides professional rafters, the members would also included a tv crew of the ABC Network. In total the team consisted of 27 members, including 20 Americans which in turn included the 14 man support crew, the 7 Chinese included three oarsmen, the other four being translators and journalists.[5]

After the competition, Warren was to operate commercial rafting expeditions on the upper reaches of the Yangtze and the competition was to popularize rafting in China.[7][10][better source needed] To downplay nationalist sentiment against Warren's team, three Chinese athletes would join it.[8]

On July 1 1986, a rivaling Chinese Academy of Sciences all-Chinese team of 40 began their downstream expedition.[11] Around the same time, a 7-man team from Luoyang also started off.[8] The two all-Chinese team had diverse ethnicities (Han, Tibetan, Yi, Qiang and Hui) and backgrounds (workers, teachers, doctors, retired soldiers, policemen, journalists, photographers).[8]

On July 27 of 1986, three Chinese rafters of a competing expedition died as their raft capsized.[12] According to participant Yang Yong, in total, 8 to 10 participants of his 55-member team dead.[12][13] In 1987, Yang would also be among the first to descent the Yellow River and in 1998 among the first to descent the headwaters of the Brahmaputra River.[14]

Eventually the two all-Chinese teams would join their efforts.[8]

Sino-US expedition

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For the expedition to start, a total of 9 tons of equipment had to be transported to the remote source of the Yangtze, a feat by itself.[10] On July 14, the team left their basecamp for .[15]

The expedition started on 31 July 1986, with local Tibetans and Chinese soldiers partaking in a sendoff ceremony. By August 2, the team had reached the confluence with the Dangqu.[16]

On August 3, cameraman David Shippee passed away along the Ulan Moron, likely of pneumonia. Following this accident, four Americans of the crew decided to quit participating, apparently realizing how risky the expedition was.[1][17]

After 18 days, the team had reached Zhimenda, a village near Yushu City, where met their road support crew for the first time again.[16] Here, Warren faced a mutiny, with crew being dissatisfied about his leadership style. According to crew member Gary Peebles, Warren was angry about the rivaling Chinese team being ahead of them, and was too obsessed to complete the expedition to care about the safety of the crew.[18] After Warren refused to step down as the expedition's leader, 4 American members resigned and returned home.[19]

On August 26, four of the team's five boats were damaged in a collision, with one of them being a write-off. The radio equipment carried by the team was also damaged beyond use. In order to look for help, a member of the team walked five days to Batang where he could ask for help.

Later, the four remaining rafts were lashed together to improve their stability. Nevertheless, the contraption still capsized, with all boats being heavily damaged, one even being lost. Following this event, and with the time allotted by the government permit running out, the team decided to quit at 400 miles away from the Tiger Leaping Gorge[19][20]




The team negotiated with a Chinese team that was already further downstream, hoping to agree with them to finish as one team.

By September 12, two American rafters, three tv crew members and four Chinese team member quit participating.

On September 13, Ken Warren announced that the team quit the expedition.In November 1986, the all-Chinese team completed the expedition. Members of the Sino-US expedition claimed that the other team had skipped some of the most dangerous parts of the course.[21]

In 1988, a second trip, with a shorter route, for paying participants was organized. Each participant paid USD 15,000 for joining the rafting expedition.[22]

Controversy

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Upon returning to the US, Warren was sued by Shippee's family for recklessness contributing to his death.[19] In February 1990, Warren was acquitted by a jury.[20] Warren was also sued for failing to fulfill the sponsorship contracts, and faced corporate and personal bankruptcy.[5]

In September 1986, Warren claimed that the winning rival Chinese team "skipped dangerous parts of the river." Warren's team had resigned after having setbacks in the form of "of bad weather, damage to the rafts and the expiration of a contract with the Chinese for logistical support."[11]

Team

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Several members of the expedition have published books. The River at the Center of the World, [23] In 2013, Ken Warren's book When Dreams and Fear Collide: The true story of the 1986 Upper Yangtze River Expedition was published.[10] Riding the Dragon's Back: The Race to Raft the Upper Yangtze [24]

Name Age Role Fate
Ken Warren Leader and organiser
Janice 'Jan' Warren Ken's wife and co-organiser
John Wilcox TV crew director
David Shippee[17] 29 Cameraman
Simon Winchester
Paul Sharpe[18] Photographer
Ancil Nance[25] Backup photographer
David Gray[19] Physician
Bill Atwood[19] Oarsman
Toby Sprinkle[19] Oarsman
Gary Peebles[19] Oarsman
Dan Dominy[18]
John Glascock
Jiyue Zhang[4][26] Liaison Officer, Sichuan Mountaineering Association[5]
Chu Siming[4] Captain and translator[5]
Xu Jusheng[7][5]

[27]

Yao Mushu solo attempt

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Chinese Academy of Sciences expedition

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At 4:50 p.m. on July 19, 1986, the "Jinshajiang Death Squad" composed of 10 volunteer members, consisting of captain Wang Yan, deputy captain He Ping, team members Kong Zhiyi, Li Dafang, Lan Weike, Yan Ke, Yang Yong, Yang Bin, Zhou Hongjing and I (Feng Chun) took two rubber boats, "Pangang" and "Qianwei", and launched from the left bank of the Zhimenda Bridge in Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai Province, and began the Yangtze River rafting expedition in the real sense.[5]

When teammate Zhou Hongjing untied the rope of a rubber boat tied to the rocks and was about to be dragged ashore, because the river flow was too fast, the huge friction force strangled Zhou Hongjing's hands to grab the boat rope with two blood marks, and he had to let go because of the pain. Everyone watched on the shore as the "Pangang" rubber boat was swept away by the huge waves and washed away without a trace[5]

Name Age Role Fate
Kong Zhiyi PLA soldier Died on July 27, 1986
Yang Honglin Luoyang City Bus Company employee Died on July 27, 1986
Zhang Jun Luoyang 537 Factory employee Died on July 27, 1986
Sun Zhiling Luoyang Locomotive Depot employee Died on September 12, 1986
Wan Ming Reporter of Sichuan "Youth World" magazine Died on September 13, 1986 after being hit by a falling stone
Lei Zhi Jinsha River Water Transport Bureau employee Died on October 14, 1986
Yang Qianming Chengdu Yarn-dyed Dyeing and Finishing Factory employee Died on November 19, 1986
Wang Jianjun Died on November 19, 1986
Wang Zhen Member of Chengdu Institute of Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Died on November 19, 1986
Feng Chun

Legacy

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IN 1987 another expedition took place [2]

In 2016 the expedition received renewed attention as two reporters retraced its route.[4] 30 years later after the expedition, participant Chu Siming remarked that the failed expedition may have achieved the antithesis of deterring Chinese from rafting.[4] However by 2015 there were over 1,000 rafting related businesses in China.[5]

See also

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[edit]
  • Photos of the expedition
  • Yangtze River Expedition 1986, photos (ancilnance.com)
  • https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/464060/challenging-chinas-yangtze
  • Challenging China's Yangtze (VHS). Oak Forest: MPI Home Video. 1987. ISBN 9781562780845.
  • [28]

Literature

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References

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  1. ^ a b Mann, Jim (1986-09-13). "American Survives Mountain Ordeal to Get Help for Rafters on Yangtze". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  2. ^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio". Newspapers.com. 1986-09-12. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  3. ^ a b c "Albany Democrat-Herald from Albany, Oregon". Newspapers.com. 1986-01-31. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  4. ^ a b c d e f 李齐. "A story of deadly torrents and tears". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "虎啸长江 1986年长江漂流探险活动亲历者回忆录". 2015-06-02. Archived from the original on 2019-07-10.
  6. ^ Warren, Jan (2014-03-15). When Dreams and Fear Collide: The True Story of the 1986 Sino-USA Upper Yangtze River Expedition. Dancing Moon Press. ISBN 978-1-937493-59-2.
  7. ^ a b c "Warren's Yangtze Expedition On..." American Whitewater. 1986.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Contemporary China Centre Blog » The Yangtze River Conquest: Rafting for China's Honour". blog.westminster.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  9. ^ Symmes, Patrick (2007-03-27). "Patrick Symmes - Rafting the Yangtze River, China". Patrick Symmes. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  10. ^ a b c Productions, Inventive. "Rafting Pioneer Jan Warren Launches New Book About Controversial 1986 Sino-usa Yangtze River Ex". PRLog. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  11. ^ a b "Dispute between U.S., Chinese raft teams - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  12. ^ a b "Survivor of rafting disaster on the Yangtze says he still loves China's mightiest river". South China Morning Post. 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  13. ^ Walker, Beth (1 November 2011). "Saving South Asia's water" (PDF).
  14. ^ Winn, Peter (2022-04-12). "Deeply Incised Goosenecks of the San Juan River: the reason for their location and when and how they formed". Canyon Echo. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  15. ^ Archives, L. A. Times (1986-07-16). "U.S.-China Raft Team Near Yangtze Source". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  16. ^ a b "A Death on the Yangtze". HuffPost. 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  17. ^ a b https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/18/world/american-photographer-dies-in-expedition-on-the-yangtze.html
  18. ^ a b c "Yangtze River". The Daily Breeze. 1986-09-07. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g McGowan, Elizabeth (January 1987). Backpacker. Active Interest Media, Inc.
  20. ^ a b "Ken Warren, Outdoorsman, River Rafter | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  21. ^ "China team rafts length of Yangtze - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  22. ^ "FIRST COMMERCIAL RIVER RAFTING TRIP ON YANGTZE LED BY PROVO ADVENTURER". Deseret News. 1988-06-29. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  23. ^ Bangs, Richard; Kallen, Christian (1989). Riding the dragon's back: the race to raft the upper Yangtze. New York, NY: Atheneum. ISBN 978-0-689-11932-3.
  24. ^ a b Bangs, Richard; Kallen, Christian (1989). Riding the Dragon's Back: The Race to Raft the Upper Yangtze. Atheneum. ISBN 978-0-689-11932-3.
  25. ^ "Rivers of Asia - Teacher Resources". web.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  26. ^ User, Super. "Jiyue Zhang, Personal Reflections". earthriver.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  27. ^ Wang, Ying; Shakeela, Aishath; Kwek, Anna; Khoo-Lattimore, Catheryn (2018-04-05). Managing Asian Destinations. Springer. ISBN 978-981-10-8426-3.
  28. ^ "The Vanishing Yangtze: Paddling China's Great River 2019". FilmFreeway. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
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