A Chinese villager, in a duet performance with French "Spiderman" Alan Robert, successfully climbed a mountain in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday.

Both were invited by the Zhangjiajie scenic spot management company to perform their stunt at a cave on top of the 1,518-meter-high Tianmen Mountain. Unlike Robert, who climbed 200 meters with only his bare hands, Su Xueli descended on a 200-meter-long rope hanging from the top of the cave.

The hour-long ascent of daredevil Robert was similar to another feat he performed in the province five years ago, but Su appeared a bit worried before the performance. "I had only done this with 50-meter-long ropes. It's a bold challenge for me, and more difficult and dangerous than ever," Su said.

The 54-year-old man honed mountain climbing skills during 20 years picking Yan'er, a rare mushroom delicacy that usually grows on high mountains. He now makes a living by performing climbing stunts for tourists, because the mushroom picking was banned in 1998 to protect the environment.

"I accepted (the company's) invitation because I want to show 'Spiderman' the local Chinese mountain-climbing skills," he said.

Robert is well known for his exploits. In 1996, he climbed the Far East Finance Center in Hong Kong, and according to media reports, it took him only 25 minutes to scale the tower's 48 stories. In 1998, he annoyed Japanese police by climbing the Sinjuku Center Building in Tokyo. The following year, he climbed the 443-meter-high Sears Tower in Chicago.

It is said that he has been arrested and fined more than 100 times for climbing buildings around the world.

Alan Robert

Su Xueli

(Xinhua News Agency November 19, 2007)