Picking wild chinese herbal medicine over the cliff

Chit Chat
1

Hi All,
This is the traditional way to pick expansive wild Chinese herbal medicine.
See this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvvUD8VAHAw
謝謝 alan lee.

2

Thank you Alan.

It is nice to “visit” other parts of the world and see how others live and work, even if it is just virtually.

Looks like the climbers are well practiced and rope fairly well used. I am glad it is a thick one.

SS

3

Hi All,
Scott I found the original link here" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUZCYg22Dzc&t=344s "
this video is easy to see how they maneuver with the rope and the equipment. The cliff is 1500 meters high.
the rappelling action is at the first 6 minute of the video. more at 32:50 to 34:00.
謝謝 alan lee.

    Edit: Dec-20-2016    I listen wrongly, they said they usually pick the best herb at around 1500 meters high.
                                   I have no idea what is high of the cliff, where they at doing the demonstration. 
    Edit; Jan-22-2017    The link above no longer available, here is the new link.
                                     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3EUa9JBeV4&t=376s
4

Hi All,
I found another video about this ancient herb picking trade.
雁荡山灵岩飞渡：第一段 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O0kmMXk22w&t=137s

     These days nobody want to practice this ancient trade any more, they get more profit doing the show for tourist, 
     also instead of picking the herb from the cliff, they plant the herb now a day.  
     謝謝 alan lee.
5

Hi All,
I have video link here about the Yandang Mountain, locating in Wenzhou City Zhejiang Province, is considered as one of ten
famousmountains in China. the scenery is beautyful, may be you like to see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2ne7mUmcg8&t=17s
謝謝 alan lee.

6

Hi all,
I found more information about the use of this herbal medicine “Dendrobium 石斛”
This “Herbal Picking Knot” and the skill they use has been passed down from generation to
generation 世代相传的绝技. Thanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LTEM4vw5ok&t=79s&ab_channel=本草中国官方频道TheTaleofChineseMedicine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FahoSi9Ghk&ab_channel=Dr.PaulHaider
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v0IHMKgoA8&ab_channel=VitaJingHerbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOhuEbtzfvU&ab_channel=WhiteRabbitInstituteofHealing

7

Screen grab from youtube video link posted by Alan Lee.

It is indeed a ‘Munter hitch’ (at illustration #206 in Ashley).
Also known as a ‘Backhanded hitch’; ‘Crossing hitch’, ‘Italian hitch’, and ‘HMS hitch’.

Used by climbers all over the world.

The herb picker who descends on the large diameter [vegetable fibre] rope is being belayed from above by an assistant.
This also keeps the Munter hitch in its maximum friction orientation.
Note: It could be a synthetic fibre rope - a laid construction (it does not appear to be a ‘Kernmantel’ construction).

The Munter hitch is formed on a round bar segment of the improvised harness system.
There is no ‘gate’ to contend with as would happen with rock climbing carabiners (carabiners have a gate).

Best info that I have is that the origins of using this hitch as a load control hitch for belaying climbers can be traced back to Italians in the 1950’s.

The other video links are more of an advertisement for the Chinese herb - but do show some spectacular cliffs and canyons (which I would like to climb/canyon).
Also shows ‘highlining’ - a variation of the ‘tyrolean’.

EDIT NOTE:
I would like to determine the history of the use of the Munter hitch by Chinese herbal pickers.
The prevailing view is that the Italians started using the Munter hitch as a load control hitch in the 1950’s.
If we can find evidence of use earlier than the 1950’s, this would change the current historical view.
Perhaps Alan can assist?

8

Mark,
Thanks for the reply, I will try and search to see if there is more information about Munter hitch.

9

History of Muntle hitch.

10

more picture

11

Thanks Alan,
What I am most interested in is finding more info specific to the historical use of #206 Crossing hitch (aka Munter hitch, Backhanded hitch, Italian hitch, HMS, etc).
That is, I want to find out when the Chinese first started to use the Munter hitch for descending cliffs.

So far, my research points to Italians in the 1950’s experimenting with the hitch as a means of belaying climbers.

The Crossing/Backhanded/Munter/Italian hitch was obviously known before the 1950’s - however, it is the specific use of the hitch in mountaineering/abseiling applications that interests me.

If we can find evidence that the Chinese used the hitch for descending cliffs prior to the 1950’s, this would ‘rewrite history’ so to speak.

So the next question is, how do we contact the Chinese herb gatherers?
Is there a way to contact them directly?

12 
     Hi Mark, thanks for your reply. When I have free time, I will look at it again.