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 winding streams. The cabin can carry up to 81 passengers, nearly three times the capacity of the older elevator. Combined, the two lifts move as many as 1,200 people per hour.

Cai Xiong, chairman of Xuanwei Yatuo Tourism Development, the company behind the project, said the new structure’s shaft is 20 meters taller than its predecessor. “The Fuyao goes from the bottom to the top in just 50 seconds, which is nearly twice as fast as the Qingyun, and it can carry up to 81 passengers at a time, nearly double the capacity,” Cai said, adding that the canyon views are unbeatable.

Local residents and students ride free of charge, with a dedicated school commute lane and staff support to keep children separate from tourist crowds. The system functions as what local media have called a “sky school bus.”

The project is part of a broader tourism development that has already drawn more than 1 million visitors since the first elevator opened. Daily visitor capacity in the scenic area has risen from about 4,000 to 15,000 with the second lift in operation. Cai projected that if trends continue, the site could see more than 600,000 tourists next year, with elevator revenue exceeding 3 million yuan.

China already holds the Guinness World Record for the tallest outdoor elevator: the Bailong Elevator in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, which rises 326 meters. The Yunnan installations are shorter but serve a dual purpose of daily local transport and sightseeing. The Fuyao and Qingyun are outdoor glass elevators fixed to the cliff face, engineered for the humid, foggy canyon environment with multiple power backups and monitoring systems.

Construction of the second elevator began in late 2024. The main structure was completed in 2025, and final work enabled the late-July opening. Ningbo Hongda Elevator, based in Zhejiang province, built both lifts. Engineers had to contend with long travel distances, mountain moisture and structural movement on the steel framework.

Before the elevators, local authorities had tried to improve the trail by cutting footholds and installing chains, yet the route remained hazardous, especially in rain. The combination of sightseeing shuttles, the cliff elevators and the cable car has eliminated the need for that climb for most daily travel.

Around 20 children from Nizhuhe and nearby villages use the route regularly. Guanzhai Primary School serves as a boarding school for students from the surrounding mountain communities. Parents rotate accompaniment duties, and dedicated staff and police help oversee the children’s passages.

The elevators have also changed how residents view their landscape. One 10-year-old student told state media that riding the lift made her realize how beautiful her hometown was. Cai, who grew up in the mountains, recalled walking the dangerous path many times and said safety was a primary motivation for the project.

Tourism growth has brought additional benefits. Job opportunities and higher incomes have followed the influx of visitors drawn by the dramatic canyon scenery, glass bridges, observation decks and the elevators themselves. The dual-lift system has eased congestion that previously built up around the single Qingyun elevator.

Officials emphasize that the infrastructure prioritizes local access. Villagers and students retain free priority use even as tourist numbers climb. The scenic area includes other attractions such as a high glass footbridge and viewing platforms, positioning the canyon as a destination that pairs natural drama with engineering spectacle.

The Fuyao’s 288-meter height and transparent design allow passengers to experience the full vertical drama of the canyon in under a minute. At 5 meters per second, the ride is faster than the original Qingyun, which traveled at about 3 meters per second. The increased capacity and speed address both the practical needs of school transport and the demands of growing visitor traffic.

In a region long isolated by its steep topography, the elevators represent a practical solution that also generates economic returns. The shift from a life-threatening trek to a short, scenic ride has altered daily routines for families in Nizhuhe. Children who once spent hours climbing can now reach class more reliably and return home more frequently.

As the second elevator settles into regular service, local leaders expect the combined system to sustain both educational access and tourism growth. The “sky school bus” continues to carry students upward each school day while offering visitors a brief, dramatic ascent along one of Yunnan’s most striking canyon walls.

The project illustrates how targeted infrastructure can address long-standing isolation in China’s mountainous interior. For the children of Nizhuhe, the glass elevators have turned a once-dreaded journey into a routine half-hour trip that ends with a view of the canyon they once had to climb.