The Bailong Elevator (; lit. Hundred Dragons Heaven Elevator) is a glass double-deck elevator built onto the side of a cliff in the Wulingyuan area of

Zhangjiajie Zhangjiajie (; Tujia language, Tujia: /tsán tɕá kǎi/) is a prefecture-level city in the northwestern part of Hunan, Hunan Province, China. It comprises the district of Yongding District, Zhangjiajie, Yongding, Wulingyuan District, Wulingyua ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, an area noted for more than 3,000 quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks across most of the site, many over 200 metres (660 ft) in height. In order to ascend to the top of one such pillar, and to avoid a two-hour hike, the elevator ascends its height of in just one minute and 32 seconds, after a 2015 upgrade.(17 October 2007)
Peak attractions
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China Daily ''China Daily'' ( zh, s=中国日报, p=Zhōngguó Rìbào) is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Overview ''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any ...

''Frommer's China
p. 753 (2010)(17 October 2002)

'' Beijing Review'' It was recognised by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

as the world's tallest outdoor elevator on 16 July 2015 and is purported to be the fastest passenger elevator with the largest loading capacity. Construction of the elevator began in October 1999, and it was opened to the public by 2002. 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. The environmental effects of the elevator have been a subject of debate and controversy, as the Wulingyuan area was designated a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in 2002.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) 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.(6 September 2003)

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References

Individual elevators Tourist attractions in Zhangjiajie {{China-struct-stub

See also

References