Luo Dengping and Huang Jinlin thrill spectators as they deftly climb up and down the 108-meter-tall walls of a gigantic cave without protective equipment. They are known as the “spider men” of the Getu River scenic area in the Miao-Bouyei Autonomous County of Ziyun, Southwest China's Guizhou Province. The spider men’s performance is the highlight of the scenic area. Climbing the hugged cliff faces is a centuries-old tradition of the local people of the Miao ethnic group, when their ancestors used to hang coffins on a cliff face. Before they became professional performers, the Miao “spider men” climbed rocky ridges to collect niter, and then birds’ nests that are thought to have medicinal value. The Getu area now attracts tens of thousands of climbers from China and overseas every year who compete and go for climbing in the mountains. Photos: Li Hao/GT