New project elevates cliffside economy

How do you top a cliffside elevator that has already shortened a daily journey of more than three hours to just about 30 minutes? You build a new one that's taller, faster and comes with a more breathtaking view.

In the remote Nizhuhe Grand Canyon in Southwest China's Yunnan province, a glass elevator attached to a vertical cliff face was unveiled for operation last week, making the regular commute to Guanzhai Village Primary School much safer for some 20 children from neighboring villages.

The newly completed project, named Fuyao, together with the old elevator Qingyun built around four years ago, ensures that local residents, including schoolchildren, no longer have to navigate a perilous mountain path on foot.

As a bonus, the cliffside elevators are attracting more tourists, which in turn is boosting job opportunities and the incomes of the mountain communities.

Lei Xin, 12, who lives in Nizhuhe village and attended the neighboring Guanzhai Village Primary School until September last year, was full of praise for the new elevator. "The Fuyao is faster and much more spacious than the Qingyun," Lei said, after taking his first ride on Sunday, two days after the new elevator began operating.

Cai Xiong, chairman of Xuanwei Yatuo Tourism Development, the construction company behind the project, said that the new elevator covers a 288-meter vertical cliff face, making its shaft 20 meters taller than that of the old elevator.