Teenage boy dies in Chinese desert after going on excursion to improve university entrance resume

Organisers of a hiking trip have come under fire after a 16-year-old boy died last month in the desert in northern China, apparently related to a lack of medical support.

The boy, surnamed Zheng, died when he and seven other teenaged students were on an excursion in the Tengger Desert, in Inner Mongolia, according to Red Star News.

According to other students’ accounts, the young man appeared to have died of heat exposure, with temperatures reportedly reaching more than 50 degrees Celsius.

The boys, who were carrying packs weighing as much as 20kg, were expected to walk 18km per day. One day, they found themselves suddenly caught in extremely hot temperatures.

The member of staff in charge of the excursion is accused of not taking Zhang’s symptoms seriously, and even forcing him to continue hiking after he collapsed onto the ground twice, the report said.

After climbing to the top of a sand dune, Zheng rolled down the slope, said a student on the trip, identified by the surname Li. As there is no telephone signal in the desert, the coach only managed to call emergency personnel after Zheng was driven to a highway. The ambulance arrived an hour later.

A doctor in the ambulance said Zheng did not have vital signs upon their arrival, according to Li, who was also in the vehicle.

Li said there was, “No walkie-talkie, no vehicle nearby, no medical staff, except only one coach. How dare he lead eight juveniles to cross the Tengger Desert?”

The excursion, due to last from July 25 to Aug 3, was priced at 22,500 yuan (S$4,700) per person.

Eight students joined the camp, all aged between the age of 16 and 17.

One of the benefits of the adventure is that it could potentially help students get accepted into overseas universities. The organisers said the experience could “become a highlight point in the personal statement”.

Li said: “Most of the students participated because they want to add scores when applying for foreign universities, rather than because they like outdoor sports.”

Besides desert hiking, parents send their children to join activities such as mountain climbing, surfing, sailing or field survival.

This article was first published in South China Morning Post.