Imagine an escalator built into the landscape of a mountain, climbing along the mountain ridge and from which, without moving a step, all of nature’s scenery is brought to you! Well, there is no need to imagine further as Enshi in Hubei Province, which only takes 393 RMB to get to by bullet train from Hangzhou, is home to the world’s longest mountain escalator.


The escalator is in Qixingzhai Scenic Area in Enshi Grand Canyon, which is a 4A scenic area (In China, a rating system from A to 5A is used to evaluate the quality of a scenic area with 5A being the best.)

It is an outdoor tourist escalator that has been built according to the landscape of the mountain which here, in fact, resembles the shape “∑” and seen from afar is like a dragon, very majestic. The escalator, a wooden structure, is also built using reinforced concrete. The vertical height difference of the escalator is 200 meters, with the lowest point at an altitude of 1228 meters and the highest 1428 meters.

The escalator takes into consideration the preservation of the ecological environment. The upper part of the escalator uses wood and the roof is paved with Tujia-style black tiles (Tujia is the 8th largest minority in China.) In addition, a large number of climbing plants have been planted to make the escalator blend well into its surrounding environment. Taking the escalator all the way down to the foot of the mountain and the great view of Enshi Grand Canyon is unveiled before your very eyes.

However, if you don’t want to come all the way to Hubei, then Zhexi Grand Canyon in Zhejiang makes for a great alternative

Zhexi Grand Canyon

■ Located within the Qingliang Peak National Natural Reserve, western Zhejiang, Zhexi Grand Canyon is a deep canyon with swift rapids and a narrow tourist zone stretching for over 80 kilometers long.


■ Blessed with the finest landscape and the best-preserved eco system, Zhexi Grand Canyon, the most sparsely populated area in Zhejiang, is also the nearest natural getaway to big metropolises like Shanghai and Hangzhou. It is honored as the best one of its kind throughout Zhejiang province.