For the children residing in Nizhuhe, a village located at the bottom of a canyon in Yunnan province, China, going to school represented a considerable challenge. Before the installation of local elevators, students were forced to traverse steep trails on the slopes to reach the school located at the top of the mountain, a journey that could take about three hours.
The situation began to change in 2022 with the operation of the region's first elevator, named 'Qingyun Ladder'. Subsequently, a second structure, the 'Fuyao Ladder', was added, which has a height of 288 meters.
Details of the New Transport Structure
The new elevator began operations on July 31st, being built adjacent to the first one. With the combination of these two structures and the inclusion of a cable car, the travel time was drastically reduced to approximately 30 minutes, according to Yunnan Net.
The Nizhuhe Grand Canyon area features an altitude variation of over 500 meters; the village is at the base of the canyon, while the Guanzhai primary school is at the highest point of the mountain. It was in this context that the two elevators were implemented to simplify movement along the slope.
The second structure, Fuyao Ladder, is 20 meters taller than the Qingyun Ladder and features a completely transparent outer wall, made of 360-degree glass. In addition to allowing views of the canyon wall, this elevator also serves as a tourist attraction.
The equipment operates at a speed of 5 meters per second and received an investment of approximately 68 million yuan, equivalent to about 52 million Brazilian reais. Together, the two elevators have a combined capacity to transport up to 1,200 people per hour. With the addition of the new structure, the daily visitor capacity of the tourist area increased from 4 thousand to 15 thousand people.
Impact on the Local Community
The new transportation system has integrated into the routine of both the inhabitants of Nizhuhe and Guanzhai. For students and residents, access is free, and there is a designated area specifically to facilitate boarding and disembarking.
The route also includes a cable car, which takes about five minutes from the top of the elevator to the school. This new structure complemented the Qingyun Ladder, inaugurated in 2022, which had already substantially reduced travel time.
According to Yunnan Net, the first elevator had already been used almost a thousand times by students by 2025. The elevators are also used by residents to move around the region and for transporting agricultural products.