XUANWEI, China — A new 288-meter glass elevator clinging to the sheer walls of a remote canyon in southwestern China has transformed a dangerous multi-hour mountain climb into a swift, safe journey for local schoolchildren, while simultaneously boosting tourism in one of Yunnan province's most isolated communities.

The Fuyao elevator, which began operating on July 31, rises along the vertical cliff face of the Nizhu River Grand Canyon in Xuanwei city's Puli Township. It stands beside the 268-meter Qingyun elevator that opened in 2022. Together the two lifts, combined with a cable car and shuttle buses, have reduced the one-way trip from Nizhuhe village at the canyon floor to Guanzhai Village Primary School on the rim from more than three hours to about 30 minutes.

For generations, children living in the deep valley faced a perilous commute. Nizhuhe village sits at roughly 1,100 meters above sea level. The primary school is perched near 1,650 meters, leaving a vertical drop exceeding 500 meters. Students and parents once negotiated steep, exposed trails, ladders and slippery rock faces. Round trips could approach six hours, and many children boarded at the school, returning home only every 10 days or so.

"The Fuyao is faster and much more spacious than the Qingyun," said Lei Xin, a 12-year-old from Nizhuhe village who attended Guanzhai Primary School until the previous year, after taking one of the first rides on the new lift.

The Fuyao climbs at about 5 meters per second, completing the ascent in roughly 50 seconds. Its fully transparent 360-degree glass curtain wall offers panoramic views of the canyon and its........

© International Business Times