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1,300-foot-high cable is the only access to Chinese village [6 pictures]

Sep 18, 2012 By Abraham

The 200 people who live in the village of Yushan in China’s Hubei Province used to have to walk several days to get to the nearest village. But then in the late 90’s they were connected to the outside world by cable car.

Though unquestionably convenient, this public transit is more than a little unnerving. It swings in the breeze 1,300 feet above the valley that separates villagers from their destination. And it stretches 3,280 feet — a full kilometer.

The crate that passengers stand in to cross is hoisted along by a simple diesel engine…

Zhang Xinjian has been the operator since the cables were first strung across the gorge because no one else (reasonably) would take the job. His dad was the village head at the time, so he assigned the task to his son.

Besides operating the machine, Zhang Xinjian must also ride along the box perched on top of it to grease the cables once a week…

So…Question of the day: Would you ride it?

(via The Daily Mail)

Related: Kids climbing across a collapsed bridge to get to school


  1. Jeff says:

    Would I ride it? Shoot yeah. Probably safer than my drive to work and what a view. I envy that guy his job. What an office to have to work from.

  2. Sandra says:

    As someone who has lived in China the last 13 years, and seen how they blink confusedly at the concept of “maintenance” (Why would you work on it? It’s not broken yet…). I’d never ride it in a million years. Someone is going to die, it’s just a question of whether it will be you. Anyone who has lived here past the 1 year honeymoon period would say the same.

    1. Michelle says:

      Absolutely, 100% what Sandra said, This.

      Nothing you buy in China is made well. They buy cheap stuff, use it till it’s completely trashed and then buy another one. Western cultures, on the other hand, will buy more expensive things and actually take care of them so they will last a long time. I’ve actually been curious to see what’s going to happen with all the cars that have been sold in China the last few years, since the idea of routine or preventative maintenance (such as oil changes) is so completely foreign to them.


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