As Adili Wuxor gave his final high wire performance above the Bird's Nest, his wife, Yiba Guli, acted out her own role of calm supporter in front of the media. Inside, she was burning with anxiety.
"If he says he wants to take part in another endurance event, I will definitely oppose it," she said, in reference to problems Adili felt during his successful record attempt.
Adili, a renowned wire-walking performer from Xinjiang, concluded his 60-day stay above the national stadium at 10:42 am on Friday, smashing several Guinness records. In particular, he set a record for the longest distance walked on a steel wire and the longest time spent at an elevated height.
During her 60-day stay in Beijing as his "biggest supporter", Guli went to watch her husband twice a day, regardless of rain or sun. She said the first thing she did after waking was to send him a text message with the number of days left.
As the performer's health worsened, Guli found herself making more than 10 calls a day to remind him of his courageous spirit. "He is a hero and an artist," she said. "The main reason he has done all this is to raise awareness of our culture and prove that Xinjiang people are brave."
But she was not only there to offer emotional support. As a wife, she wanted to give her partner a sense of their home, so she prepared all his favorite recipes.
Trouble struck though when Adili was advised by doctors to eat more carrots as a form of food therapy. Guli said she had to "strain her brain" to smuggle the foodstuff into his meals, dodging his massive aversion to the root vegetable.
"I also peeled and sliced his fruits," she said, noting that he would turn them down in any other form.
Guli is more than just a wife, she is Adili's promotion team manager, with responsibilities that include making costumes and running the group's daily activities. However, despite being a hardworking promoter and a trickster in the kitchen, she still suffers from intense nervousness when watching her husband walk the wire.
"When he hit 39, he was suddenly not as strong as before," Guli said, adding that she has been secretly trying to persuade her husband to end his career.
For Adili though, his lofted position allows him to view his next horizon with ease - a possible walk cross the Taiwan straits, to take place sometime next year.
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