In pics: Man in wheelchair climbs up Hong Kong skyscraper for charity

Lai Chi-wai became the first person to climb over 250 metres of a skyscraper in a wheelchair in the city of Hong Kong.

The 37-year-old reportedly took up the painstaking task to raise money for spinal cord patients. Reuters reported that Chi-wai pulled himself up for over 10 hours to reach the height.

The climber was left paralysed waist down 10 years ago after a car accident. Even though he was not able to make it to the top of Nina Tower in Kowloon peninsula, which is 300 metres, he almost reached the top.

In addition, Chi-wai was able to gather $670,639 in donations.

Lai told Reuters that he was “quite scared”. "Climbing up a mountain, I can hold onto rocks or little holes, but with glass, all I can really rely on is the rope that I'm hanging off”, he said.

Before 2011, Lai was ranked Asia champion for rock climbing four times. He also ranked eighth globally for rock climbing.

After the accident, Lai took up climbing by attaching his wheelchair to a pulley system.

Just five years ago, he was able to summit the 495-metre high Lion Rock mountain, which is a local cultural symbol of Hong Kong’s strength.

"Apart from just living, I wondered what drives me? So I began to chase that, knowing that there was a possibility I could climb mountains, even in awheelchair," Lai said.

"In a way, I forgot that I was a disabled person, I could still dream and I could still do what I liked doing”, he said.

Lai shed light on the struggles of people with physical disabilities.

"Some people don't understand the difficulties of disabled people, some people think that we are always weak, we need help, we need assistance, we need people's pity," Lai said.

"But, I want to tell everyone, it doesn't have to be like that. If a disabled person can shine, they can at the same time bring about opportunity, hope, bring about light, they don't have to be viewed as weak”, he added.