Monday, 11 December 2017

Daredevilry, Climbing and untimely death

A composite image shows Wu Yongning, left, facing outward on the exterior of a wall high above the city skyline, holding on with just one hand from a ledge above ; and right, sitting on a steel girder which is projecting over the edge of a very tall building into the street

Wu Yongning posted videos of his climbs to Chinese social platform Weibo

Wu Yongning, a well-known Chinese climber has fallen to his death while performing one of his trademark daredevil skyscraper stunts.


He met his end when he fell from a 62-storey building in the city of Changsha.
There were reports that he was participating in a challenge to win a substantial amount of prize money.
Despite the fact that the 26-year-old died on 8 November, his death was only confirmed by his girlfriend in a post on Chinese social media a month later.
So-called "rooftopping" - climbing extremely tall city buildings without safety equipment - has become increasingly popular across the world in recent years.  Most observers would ordinarily conclude that these daredevils have little or no regard for their lives. 
Mr Yongning's posts on Weibo warned his viewers not to imitate his dangerous performances. He had martial arts training, and had previously taken part in some television and film productions.
Not unexpectedly, his rooftop posts brought him significant attention on social media - and, according to local media reports, proved more lucrative.
Wu Yongning uses a selfie stick to photograph himself reclining on top of a structure far above the surrounding buildings
A family member was quoted as saying he was participating in a "rooftopping" challenge with 100,000 yuan (£11,300) at stake in prize money, though the nature of the competition and its sponsor was unclear.
"He planned to propose to his girlfriend (the day after the challenge)," the South China Morning Post quoted his step-uncle as saying.
"He needed the money for the wedding, and for medical treatment for his ailing mother."
The rooftopping trend is popular across the world in heavily developed cities. Despite safety concerns, many climbers insist that the use of safety equipment detracts from the experience.

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