The First Highway on Mount Everest, Built by China

Conquering the Everest will soon cease to be an adventure. The Chinese government is going to build a "highway" on Mount Everest to ease the access of the Olympic torch on this course.

The road will have a length of about 108 km (67 km) and will cost approximately $ 20 millions. The project will turn a 108-km rough road linking Tingri County of Xigaze Prefecture at the foot of the mountain to the Base Camp into a blacktop highway fenced by undulating guardrails. The camp is located at over 5,200 m (17,060 ft).

Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, is 29,035 feet tall. Also called Chomolungma, this is the tallest mountain on Earth, as measured by the height of its summit above sea level. The mountain, part of the Himalaya range, is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet (China). The Nepalese government requires a permit from all prospective climbers; this carries a heavy fee, often more than $25,000 (USD) per person, while the Chinese route is considered less difficult.

Chinese authorities say that the works will start next week and will last 4 months, and the new highway will be used by both tourists and mountaineers eager to climb Everest. In April, organizers for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics exposed an ambitious project of creating the longest torch relay ever covered: 140,000 km (85,000 mi) in a 130-day route over 5 continents, and scaling Everest. The action is seen by many as a method of reinforcing Chinese domination over Tibet, and it would be one of the most spectacular parts of the relay.

China claims it has exerted its authority over Tibet for centuries, even if Tibetan people deny this and say they functioned as an independent state throughout their history. In 1951, the Chinese communist troops invaded Tibet and since then the region has been governed with a heavy hand by the Chinese government.