Peng reportedly went soaring 8598 metres above the Qilian Mountains in China’s Gansu Province without oxygen on Saturday.

Amateur video shared by Chinese state media showed Peng with ice covering his face and clothes while drifting in the clouds.

“I had recently bought a second-hand paragliding harness and wanted to try it out, so I was performing ground parachute shaking. After a time, the wind suddenly intensified and lifted me into the air. I attempted to land as quickly as possible but was unsuccessful,” Peng explained to Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

“I found myself surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and trapped inside. It was terrifying, everything around me was white.

“Without the compass, I wouldn’t have known the direction I was moving. I believed I was flying straight, but in fact, I was spinning. Eventually, I succeeded in flying out toward the northeast.”

Peng says he was shocked to learn he reached such a high altitude and believe he might have briefly lost consciousness, state media reports.

He has been paragliding for more than four years and is a certified B-level paraglider which requires at least 20 days of flight experience.

Peng was able to control his paraglider using his compass and radio communication with teammates despite having nearly frozen and numb hands.

“As soon as I came out of the clouds, I was very excited because I had survived,” Peng told CCTV.

“The scariest moment was when I tried to pull out of the spiral and failed and when the canopy nosedived. It’s still frightening to think about.

“I’m not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won’t fly for a while,” he added.