Escalators are mostly familiar from shopping centers. Now such a staircase even takes hikers to a mountain peak. This creates critical voices.
Hangzhou – It strengthens the cardiovascular system and at the same time you are rewarded with a breathtaking view: Many people in Germany like to go hiking. In China, picturesque mountain landscapes and diverse flora and fauna also invite you to go hiking. An escalator has now been installed to make it easier for tourists to climb up. But that causes discussion.
Escalator takes hikers to mountain peak in China: “A wonderful feeling”
If you have difficulty hiking, you don’t have to take the path to the summit. Like the English-language daily newspaper China Daily reported, tourists in East China’s Zhejiang Province can ride an escalator up Tianyu Mountain in just a few minutes. Artificially generated fog also ensures cooling. Once at the top, visitors only have to walk one kilometer to the summit.
Numerous videos and pictures of the attraction in China, which opened at the end of 2022, have already been circulating on social media. Many seemed to be downright enthusiastic about the escalator. “A wonderful feeling,” is how a user on the short message service X (formerly Twitter) described the journey through the fog to the summit. If you are planning a hiking holiday soon, you should definitely pack the right equipment.
Escalator in China: Hikers travel comfortably to the mountain peak at 350 meters
China Daily According to others, others praised the escalator for providing tourists with a comfortable experience. This is an advantage, especially for people who are not good on foot. On the other hand, however, there was also criticism. The Tianyu Mountain is only 350 meters high – of course no comparison to the peaks in the Himalayas.
According to critics, the construction of the escalator would be an interference with nature. Others complain that the escalator robs hikers of the sense of achievement of having climbed a peak on their own. According to the newspaper, the path to the Tianyu summit is anything but easy. Tourists have to cover a distance of three kilometers along an exposed mountain path. This can be a major challenge for children, sick people and older people.
Escalator costs 1.3 million euros – and shortens the summit hike to 10 minutes
The elevator was originally intended to help distribute the influx of hikers, a spokesman for the Chun’an District Municipal Tourism Development Corporation said China Daily. After all, the region is popular with holidaymakers. At times the construction of a cable car was considered. However, transport options are limited, which is why the authority decided to use an escalator. The escalator cost around 1.3 million euros and now shortens the hour-long walk to around ten minutes.
The spokesman also responded to the criticism. Tourists would only be transported part of the way up. They would still have to climb the rest themselves on foot. If that’s too much for you, you can enjoy the view of Qiandao Lake from a viewing platform immediately after the escalator. In addition to the escalator on Tianyu Mountain, there is already another escalator in the Shenxianju Scenic Area in Taizhou City. This was put into operation in 2020.
If you are looking for action on vacation, you will find the best European countries for it in this ranking. In contrast, consumer advocates in Italy, Greece and Croatia warn against rip-offs on vacation. (cheese)
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