Everest name an insult says China

By CATHY ARONSON

Peter Hillary will always call the world's tallest peak Mt Everest even though China wants Westerners to call it Mt Qomolangma.

China has launched a campaign accusing British "colonialists" of "ignorance and arrogance" by continuing to refer to Everest.

"British colonialists raped the sacred mountain of the Tibetans by giving it a false name," one report said.

"Until today the world is still persistently humiliating Mt Qomolangma with English-language hegemonism."

China wants the name changed before next year, the 50th anniversary of the first ascent by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953.

The golden jubilee celebrations are already threatened by Maoist insurgency in Nepal, which shares the mountain's territory with Tibet.

The rebels have tightened their grip on approaches to the mountain, and have warned of attacks on an airport at the gateway to the Everest region.

Peter Hillary, who followed in the footsteps of his father for the second time when he reached the summit this year, said he would always refer to it as Mt Everest.

The mountain became known as Mt Everest in 1865 in honour of Sir George Everest, the Surveyor-General of India who mapped the 29,028ft peak in 1852.

"He was the man who set in place the survey that actually established that it was the highest mountain on Earth, and I think that certainly gives him a pretty fair position to retain that name," Mr Hillary said.

"While it always would have been a great mountaineering challenge, the fact that it is the highest of the lot has had a special significance and special lure."

But China says the mountain was first mapped in 1717 by officials from the Qing Dynasty, and uses the claims to support its occupation of Tibet.

Mr Hillary said he was aware of the different names for the mountain and said each culture should be free to refer to it as they want.

Mt Qomolangma is the Chinese equivalent of the Tibetan name for the mountain, Chomolungma, meaning Mother of the World.

The Nepalese call it Sagarmatha or the Goddess of the Sky.

"It has three well-known names from three very different cultures that have very substantial involvements with the mountain for different reasons," said Mr Hillary.

"I'm happy with Mt Everest. That's my mountain."

He scaled the peak in May this year as part of the National Geographic 50th Anniversary Everest Expedition, his second successful climb after reaching the peak on May 10, 1990.