Once Huang reached the summit, the media rushed to cover her achievement, and news spread across Guizhou. The provincial government sent officials from the sports bureau to the Qomolangma base camp to read a congratulatory letter to Huang along with another Guizhou team member who also successfully summited.

"I felt immense pride at that moment. After descending the mountain, the red carpets, flashlights, flowers, wine, applause and praise all felt like scenes from a movie, passing by me. It seemed both distant and close at the same time," she recalled.

Today, Huang's family treats her so well that she has no complaints — a marked shift from the skepticism of relatives who still cling to traditional gender norms. "Change will require generations of women rising up," she said.

As news of her accomplishment hit the press, Huang was leading eight teenage climbers on another expedition to the world's highest summit. This time, the female members were no longer three out of 21, but made up five of eight hardy alpinists.