Chinese hiker miraculously survives falling off cliff

Few people get an opportunity to record what should be their untimely death. Even fewer manage to survive. Meng Yang managed to do just that, when he fell off a cliff.

The 42-year-old was hiking in China’s beautiful Fanzengjian mountains, in Anhui, recording himself with a handheld 360-degree camera. The conditions were treacherous, with rain making the rocks slick and slippery. He fell. ‘I realized I couldn’t get up at all and was sliding faster and faster, that’s when it hit me – I must be falling off a cliff,’ Meng told CNN. That wasn’t the only thing that hit him, though. Fortunately for him, a tree was there to break his fall, and luckily, nothing else. ‘When I hit the tree, it felt like a heavy rock crashing down. I was just thinking, ‘there’s no way I’m dead’.’

Spoiler alert: he was not dead. In fact, other than a few cuts and bruises, he was fine, and able to share the video of his miraculous survival on Chinese social media site Douyin. He also decided to share a few words of inspiration for those wanting to follow his example and somehow not die when doing something cool. ‘Life is really short, so we need to cherish every day. I won’t let this incident hold me back. If anything, it’s pushing me to explore the world even more,’ he said.