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Mountain climbing is not just a hobby for Makalu Gau Ming-ho - it is a passion that cost him his fingers, his toes and nearly his life on Mount Everest.

The 54-year-old ethnic Taiwanese is still trekking the mountains of Asia. But instead of aiming for the peaks, he is seeking to tell their stories.

Mr Gau plans to document the beauty of the mountains on the mainland and Taiwan, and the lives of the local people, in a book called China's 100 Mountains.

He has been working on this project since 1991 and aims to have it completed by 2008. Mr Gau has already visited, photographed and written about 33 mountains, mostly in Tibet, Xinjiang and Taiwan, and aims to visit at least 15 more every year.

He is financially supported by private donors, corporate sponsors and his publisher, while speaking engagements also provide some income.

Moral support comes from his wife, Wang Meihau.

'When you go to these mountain regions, the natural landscape is so incredible and the people are so satisfied with their lives. The people in these areas are at peace with themselves, something we lack in modern culture,' Mr Gau said.

Mr Gau said the local people were receptive to his visits. 'They are so happy to see me. They tell me all their stories,' he said.

He hopes his book will help future generations appreciate and respect the beauty, people and culture of these areas.

Initially he was inspired to write about Eskimos after a climbing expedition to Alaska in the early 1990s, but realised China was closer to his heart.

To be able to spend more time climbing, Mr Gau gave up his career as a civil engineer in 1993.

'I had only one month a year in which I could climb when I was working as an engineer. It was not enough,' Mr Gau said.

His black day on Mount Everest came on May 10, 1996. The exhilaration that came with reaching the summit of the 8,850-metre peak turned to despair.

A blizzard struck on the descent and eight climbers, including a member of his Taiwanese team, were killed.

When he had descended to 8,300 metres, Mr Gau knelt on the ice in the middle of the raging blizzard. 'I couldn't go on. I knew if I fell asleep I would die. I had to stay awake,' he said.

Miraculously, he survived the night and was rescued in the morning by porters.

They revived him with oxygen and carried him back to base camp, from where he was flown by helicopter to hospital in Kathmandu and then on to Taiwan. He spent the next year in hospitals in Alaska and Taiwan, where his nose, fingers and toes were amputated.

'All I remember is the pain. And then there was the pain of my family,' he said.

Mr Gau was wheelchair-bound and unable to feed, dress or use the toilet by himself. 'I just felt so useless. The pain I was causing my family drove me to get better.'

A period of intense rehabilitation followed. By 1998 he was able to hike again near the mountains in Taiwan.

He has come a long way since. Using his knuckles, he can type, write, use a camera and drive a car. Along with his physical strength, Mr Gau has also regained his spirit.

'When I got better, I realised the mountain didn't want me to die because I had a family and a strong mind.'

Supported by his wife, friends and publisher, Mr Gau returned to the mountains determined to complete his book project. 'I could not let them down. I have to finish the book,' he said.

Against doctors' orders, Mr Gau returned to Tibet in August 1998 for two weeks with his wife and friends. 'I wanted to see if I had healed,' he said.

But on his first outing on the plateau, Mr Gau's hands and feet swelled, and his scars split open. Fortunately, after a few days they healed. 'After that, I knew I was alright,' he said.

Mr Gau now travels six to eight months a year. He spends two weeks to a month at each mountain and lives with the local people. He recently spent several weeks at Sichuan's Mount Gongka and next month he will return to K2, the world's second-highest mountain, which is between Xinjiang province and Pakistan.

He visited the mountain in 2001, but was not satisfied with the photographs.

Wang Meihau said her husband was an inspiration to others, particularly amputees who were having trouble coping with their condition. 'When we go to hospitals, patients see him and realise there is hope,' she said.

Mr Gau said life was often touched by tragedy, but people should not ne overwhelmed by it.

'Don't let it dwell in your heart. Keep searching for happiness,' Mr Gau said.



Climber reaches for a new peak with a book on mountains and their people