Bailong Elevator

The Bailong Elevator (Chinese: 百龙电梯; literally Hundred Dragons Elevator) is a glass double-deck elevator built onto the side of a cliff in the Wulingyuan area of Zhangjiajie, People's Republic of China that is 326 m (1,070 ft) high.[1][2][3][4] It was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's tallest outdoor elevator on 16 July 2015[5] and is purported to be the fastest passenger elevator with the largest loading capacity.[3] After a 2015 upgrade in 2015, the cars now speed up the ascent in just one minute and 32 seconds.[4]

The Bailong Elevator, 2009

Construction of the elevator began in October 1999, and it was opened to the public by 2002.[3] The elevator was built into the quartz sandstone cliff face, with the lower 505 feet embedded inside the mountain wall, and the upper 565 feet consisting of exposed steel derrick.[4]

The environmental effects of the elevator have been a subject of debate and controversy, as the Wulingyuan area was designated a World Heritage Site in 2002.[3][6] Operations were stopped for 10 months in 2002–2003, reportedly due to safety concerns, not environmental ones, because of its location in an earthquake-prone area.[7][4]

See also

References
  1. (17 October 2007). Peak attractions, China Daily
  2. Frommer's China, p. 753 (2010)
  3. (17 October 2002). Construction in Scenic Spots: Protection or Destruction?, Beijing Review
  4. Dunnell, Tony (10 January 2019). "Bailong Elevator, Zhangjiajie, China: The world's tallest outdoor lift stretches along the stone pillars that inspired the floating mountains in the movie "Avatar"". Atlas Obscura: Places. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  5. "Breathtaking cliff face elevator in China recognised as world's tallest outdoor elevator". 16 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  6. Han, Feng. Cross cultural confusion: Application of World Heritage Concepts in Scenic and Historic Interest Areas in China, in The wilderness debate rages on: continuing the great new wilderness debate (Michael P. Nelson & J. Baird Callicott, eds.), at p.261 (2008)
  7. (6 September 2003). Sightseeing elevators restart at world heritage site, China Daily

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