Two primary school students ride the "aerial school bus" to school in Qujing, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, on August 30, 2026. Photo: VCG

At the bottom of the Nizhu River Grand Canyon in Puli Township, Xuanwei, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, 13 primary school students carrying backpacks, accompanied by their parents, walked in turn into two vertical elevators, which serve as "aerial school buses," shortening the journey to school to just 30 minutes. CCTV News captured this scene in a report on Monday.

The Nizhu River Grand Canyon is a Chinese national tourist attraction, with a vertical drop of over 500 meters. At the bottom of the canyon lies Nizhuhe village, a small settlement cut off from the outside world by the surrounding mountains.

For many years, the children of Nizhuhe village had no easy path to the Guanzhai primary school on the mountain top. They could only climb up using small holes and steps carved into the cliff faces by predecessors with chisels and hammers by both hands and feet. The journey from the village to the school took three hours.

A turning point came in 2022, when the Nizhu River Grand Canyon scenic area began operations. The 268-meter "Qingyun Ladder" elevator and a nearly 200-meter-high mountain lift system were built and put into use. On July 31, 2026, the second cliffside elevator, the "Fuyao Ladder," with a vertical height of 288 meters, officially began operation.

The elevators have completely transformed transportation for Nizhuhe village, making the children's school journey far less arduous. Now, they simply take a six- or seven-minute scenic area shuttle bus to the elevator entrance, ride the elevator up 268 meters, transfer to the mountain lifts for another 200-meter ascent, and then walk a short distance to arrive at school in just half an hour.

Notably, this "aerial school bus" system is permanently free for villagers of Nizhuhe and Guanzhai villages, as well as for students. During peak tourist seasons, priority is given to students, with designated staff on duty and shuttle buses providing loop transfers.

Global Times