In spring 1960 it was reported that a Chinese expedition led by Shi Zhanzhun climbed Mount Everest from the north. By their account they reached the North Col in April, and on May 24 Wang Fuzhou, Qu Yinhua, Liu Lianman, and a Tibetan mountaineer, Konbu or Gonpo, climbed the slab by a human ladder, reaching the top at 4:20 am to place the Chinese flag and a bust of Mao Zedong. The credibility of their account was doubted at the time but later generally accepted.