Tourist hotspot in China installs series of escalators to help visitors to a 1,500-metre-high mountain hike to the top

[u/New_Libran]

[u/PoopDig]

Poor maintenance guy is fucked

[u/TheLastModerate982 → u/PoopDig]

Yeah, these things are all going to be glorified stairs within a decade.

[u/R-T-O-B → u/TheLastModerate982]

Decade? A year tops

[u/joeChump → u/R-T-O-B]

The problem being that escalator stairs have a much higher riser than normal stairs making it much harder and more effort to climb when they are broken.

[u/mbsouthpaw1 → u/joeChump]

Mitch Hedberg: I like the escalator, man, 'cause the escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. There would never be an "Escalator Temporarily Out of Order" sign, only an "Escalator Temporarily Stairs - Sorry for the Convenience." RIP, Mitch.

[u/Stacemranger → u/mbsouthpaw1]

Two days in a row of Mitch Hedberg jokes found in the wild. Incredible.

[u/WaySuspicious216 → u/Stacemranger]

You should buy a lottery ticket and see if that amazing luck holds!

[u/jiffysdidit → u/Stacemranger]

It used to happen all the time…..

[u/TheLastModerate982 → u/R-T-O-B]

Yeah, you’re probably right lol

[u/tchrbrian → u/R-T-O-B]

A year top? Next national holiday along with daily visitor load. “ People mountain, people sea is a term to describe this phenomenon.

[u/i_love_all → u/TheLastModerate982]

Why do you think so? I went to China recently and this small town mountain also had escalators and they have been opened for half a decade.

There’s enough workers for maintenance

[u/CypriotSpecialist → u/TheLastModerate982]

Tianmen mountain has these for years now.

[u/Regenerative_Soil → u/TheLastModerate982]

not in china and definitely not while the whole world is watching

[u/Halfmoonhero → u/Regenerative_Soil]

Depends where they are. I live here and I’m not sure where this is, I do know that way more than 50% of escalators I use in the country are just dead due to cost cutting measures.

[u/saren_p → u/Halfmoonhero]

You live in China? Cool.

Tell us what's going on there, is the economy really shit? Are the demographics as bad as they say? Are the EVs really cool like we've seen on YouTube? In general, are things looking up or down? How have the tariffs been recieved?

So hard to get a true sense of what's going on there.

[u/TheLastModerate982 → u/Regenerative_Soil]

Well reality is a bitch. China is about to fall off a demographic cliff. And their control economy means anyone with capital tries to get it out of the country.

No amount of CCP window dressing can square that circle.

[u/One-Demand6811 → u/TheLastModerate982]

Control economies have a better chance to prevent people with capital from going out of country with that capital.

With automation and AI population aging isn't gonna be a problem as it was in 1990s when Japan stagnated. Look at South Korea. There demographics is even shittier than China's. But their economy is in a much better shape compared Japan in 90s.

And China is better equip to do automation than US for example. Chinese government is already pouring billions on automation while US is cutting costs in anything science and technology related.

[u/Anen-o-me → u/TheLastModerate982]

They could be entirely engineered for stainless... Never know.

[u/TGrady902 → u/TheLastModerate982]

My local airport has escalators that are basically outside. They’re in the garage but weather and birds still get in there. They’re always broken. It’s a game I play to see if I can guess how many will be broken when I show up.

[u/chewbacca77 → u/PoopDig]

*Permanently employed

[u/Vli37 → u/PoopDig]

Oh man!

Elevators outside, without any protection 😳

That's honestly insane 🤯

RIP Maintenance team 🪦

[u/One-Demand6811 → u/Vli37]

Bogota has a lots of these outside escalators.

[u/ChillingwitmyGnomies → u/PoopDig]

"Escalator temporarily stairs. - Sorry for the convenience"

[u/brizl74 → u/PoopDig]

For real. Nature/outdoors/uncontrollable climate + electronics equals disaster.

[u/HeavyDiamondHands → u/PoopDig]

Guy or guys, or teams with guys leading guys for just the maintenance

[u/DoctaMonsta]

This is the most "China" thing I've ever seen

[u/gilestowler → u/DoctaMonsta]

There's an island off the coast of Bali called Nusa Penida. It's home to the famous "T-Rex" beach at Kelingking. The hike down to the beach is pretty tough. But, rather than make the steps down a bit better, the Chinese are installing a huge glass elevator there, which will just be hugely detrimental to one of the most beautiful beaches on earth. https://thebalisun.com/work-begins-on-controversial-cliffside-elevator-in-balis-nusa-penida/

[u/2roK → u/gilestowler]

Wow, that is fucking awful. Some rich guy destroying that piece of nature to profit off showing as many tourists down there as possible

[u/0reosaurus → u/2roK]

The best way to bringn more people to a pretty beach is to flatten it and then cry like a bitch when you realise no one wants to go there anyore

[u/esskywalker → u/gilestowler]

How is Indonesia paying a Chinese company to install this, "the Chinese are installing"?

[u/squeel → u/esskywalker]

Indonesia isn’t paying a Chinese company to install it. China (the country) is partnering with Indonesia to shoulder the costs and collect the profits. Indonesia gets more money from tourism in general. the beach gets fucked. everybody wins!

[u/MasterMaintenance672 → u/gilestowler]

Why are the Chinese building a massive elevator on an island off the coast of Bali. Wouldn't that be Indonesia?

[u/rh8938 → u/gilestowler]

the Chinese

Thats just stirring Sinophobia, they are building it, but the indonesian state approved it, the builders are not to blame.

[u/Clean-Connection-398 → u/DoctaMonsta]

And I thought americans were lazy ...

[u/arquillion → u/Clean-Connection-398]

Its probably for tourists though. Chinese cities don't shy away from stairs

[u/whoji → u/arquillion]

Exactly this. Legions of elderly people in those tourist places in China.

[u/2roK → u/DoctaMonsta]

Compared to what we see in the swiss Alps, this seems like the worst way to get a ton of people up a mountain .

[u/Warrior_Warlock]

Wouldn't a cable car have been more efficient? Or are the number of visitors so high the queues would be too long?

[u/markusbrainus → u/Warrior_Warlock]

I was thinking the same. You'd think a gondola would be cheaper and wouldn't be such an eyesore. Perhaps the escalator throughput is higher to move more people.

[u/vincentdesmet → u/Warrior_Warlock]

It’s what they did for a famous mountain in north of Vietnam. Fansipan used to be a challenging trip amongst adventurers, youth and back packers.

Then they decided it would benefit from a cable car and turned the whole place to a down trotted tourist trap like everywhere else

[u/knowledgebass → u/vincentdesmet]

I believe you meant downtrodden.

[u/vincentdesmet → u/knowledgebass]

Yes, thanks, will not edit to keep your comment relevant

[u/iC3P0 → u/Warrior_Warlock]

I'm not sure if it's still a thing but a few years ago Chinese government was heavily subsidizing escalators for some unknown reason, so there are literally escalators on farms and in the middle of nowhere now.

Just google chinese escalator and you'll find a bunch of crazy pics from 3 step escalators to ones in the middle of nowhere

[u/crymsin → u/iC3P0]

Must have given contracts to a connected escalator company

[u/Kingken130 → u/Warrior_Warlock]

Feel like you might get a chance of survival on escalators than cable cars.

But I wouldn’t imagine escalators brake failure or unreasonable acceleration be like in this location

[u/Mugweiser]

I love visiting natural wonders and seeing thousands of mechanical natural steps.

[u/Clumsy_Claus]

Really nice to keep that one tiny lane for those who want to challenge themselves.

[u/Fauked → u/Clumsy_Claus]

You could always take that super sketchy path hanging off the side of the cliff.

[u/64-17-5 → u/Clumsy_Claus]

He can't see shit.

[u/TheSystem08 → u/Clumsy_Claus]

The real challenge is walking up the down escalators

[u/ClosPins → u/Clumsy_Claus]

*Will only be used by maintenance workers.

[u/dillsimmons]

What about all the rain on those over years, can’t imagine being exposed to the elements wouldn’t degrade them quickly.

[u/ifcknkl → u/dillsimmons]

Exactly my first thought

[u/Vli37 → u/dillsimmons]

Well . . . at least you know you'll have a stable career

RIP Maintenance team 🪦

[u/WonderSearcher]

Is standing on an escalator hiking trail still count as "hiking?" 🤔 Hmmm......idk man.

Btw, that escalator totally fuck up the natural landscape.

[u/Bizbuzzfinanzecuz]

Next video is people falling down these stairs. TBD

[u/BrentNewland → u/Bizbuzzfinanzecuz]

No, the steps will come apart, carrying everyone to the bottom of the escalator where they will get sucked into the machinery and mangled to death. Quite common with Chinese escalators.

[u/theajharrison]

Lmao that's gonna break so often

[u/Rabbit0fCaerbannog → u/theajharrison]

"Escalators can never break. They can only become stairs." -- Mitch Hedberg

[u/scaryfaise → u/Rabbit0fCaerbannog]

until they start eating people.

[u/RonocNYC]

That is super fucking ugly.

[u/TRexx16]

its weather proof ?

[u/kratos_337]

I'd actually try and walk all those steps.

[u/Mugweiser → u/kratos_337]

I think you’ve discovered a new hobby! Let’s call it ‘hiking’

[u/shed7]

Not everywhere needs to be or should be easy to get to. I live in Scotland and lots of beauty spots are being ruined by roads and carparks. But this is another level.

[u/1leggeddog]

The maintenance on that couldn't possibly justify this...

Why not a cable car system or funicular

[u/PANTERlA]

The continuously displayed ability of the Chinese to utterly ruin something in their own country by trying to improve it never seizes to amaze.

[u/Rocket_Panda_]

Escalating hiking. Really took it to another level

[u/Yeckel]

Universal Studios in LA has the baby version of this.

[u/Sensitive-Season9528]

That’s sad

[u/WaylandReddit → u/Sensitive-Season9528]

Why is it sad to have a single mountain in the entire planet that's accessible to everyone?

[u/ScreechingPizzaCat]

I’ve been to a few of those but you gotta pay extra to ride them, otherwise you’re taking the stairs.

[u/Shadowx180]

This doesn't feel like the cheapest or most effective solution.

[u/Tristan2353]

There are six escalators only a fraction of the length of one of those at my work.

There’s never a day when all six are working.

[u/imironman2018]

Honestly I think the escalators ruin the whole mountain and experience. If you aren’t meant to hike to the top of that mountain, adding those escalators isn’t the way to do it. Couldn’t they have done a funicular or even a tram? This seems so excessive.

[u/ModularWhiteGuy]

They are going to be pissed when they find out about gondolas.

[u/ChasmoGER]

Is this real or AI generated?

[u/xxxams]

I've observed the escalators they've constructed in their malls and residential buildings, (youtube)and while I'd appreciate the view, I think I'll pass.

[u/ddrfraser1]

Good thing Everest isn't in China

[u/KJongsDongUnYourFace → u/ddrfraser1]

Lol. Everest is literally in China

[u/ddrfraser1 → u/KJongsDongUnYourFace]

You know, I always thought it was in Nepal. til it is on the border. Do people ever come in from the China side?

[u/New_Libran → u/ddrfraser1]

Dude, I thought you were making a joke at first 😁

Mount Everest's northern route is the "Chinese side" and is located in Tibet. It's less crowded and potentially safer climbing experience because the Chinese authorities paid for a rope-fixing crew to fix the ropes from the bottom to the top of the mountain. 

[u/KJongsDongUnYourFace → u/ddrfraser1]

Not for climbing to the peak (as far as I'm aware) but they definitely go part way up fairly regulary.

I can't remember what it's called in Chinese but I don't think they refer to it as the same thing

[u/vertigostereo → u/ddrfraser1]

It is

[u/Fat_Pizza_Boy]

Typical CCP China: ZERO respect to nature and install “new technologies” over so many natural wonders! Eye sore for sure.

[u/Secret_Photograph364 → u/Fat_Pizza_Boy]

The CCP actually does a great job of protecting some of China's national parks. Say what you will of much of their actions, but to say they do not respect China's nature is simply not true.

[u/KJongsDongUnYourFace → u/Secret_Photograph364]

They have record numbers of both environmental attractions and historic attractions. Only the US can really compete with them in terms of variety of natural landscapes.

[u/Secret_Photograph364 → u/KJongsDongUnYourFace]

Yes, a lot of that simply has to do with size as well to be fair. The nations with the best nature tend to simply be the biggest: Brazil, China, USA, Russia, Canada etc. (The US and China being unique because they have many different biomes and climates) But to be sure China has truly breathtaking national parks which definitely have great care taken towards them.

Not to endorse the CCP, I simply think national parks are really not a political issue to most people including them. Everyone can respect the beauty of China's nature.

Same generally can be said of much of China's historical and cultural sites. The CCP has a great many problems, but this just is not one of them.

[u/New_Libran → u/Secret_Photograph364]

I can confirm. Went there 15 years ago and I was taken to this wonderful national park by a friend that lived there. Absolutely breathtaking how they maintained it and the facilities provided. Wasn't expecting it at all.

[u/AgeSad → u/Fat_Pizza_Boy]

Trump just fired most of national parks staff and want to open it to exploitation

[u/itsyoboyraj]

We indians might get good roads in next few years, fingers crossed 🤞🏽

[u/Cool_Butterscotch_88]

The escalators couldn't be covered so they could have a/c? I want to get to the top but come on, it's 2025.

[u/snapplesauce1 → u/Cool_Butterscotch_88]

That’d be nice but I’d think covering them for maintenance/weather reasons.

[u/Sullyville]

now do it for Everest

[u/Ndrlnd072]

Still probably safer to reach the top rock climbing with a blindfold on.

[u/GimmeCoffeeeee]

This project would take 20 years in Germany and not be economically viable at all.

[u/mustafa_i_am]

Doesn't an escalator defeat the whole purpose of a hike?

[u/jacox17 → u/mustafa_i_am]

it’s kinda nice to accessibility integrated, though this doesn’t seem like the best route. I used to love hiking but now that I have a chronic illness it isn’t something I can do much of. This would help me a lot.

[u/Bo0ombaklak]

Trump could explain the merit aspect here

[u/trolley_trackz]

Perfect place for a gondola!

[u/cerberusR6]

I wonder how much electricity that would take to run.

[u/vertigostereo]

Nature is healing 🌲

[u/Just_Corneel]

satisfactory

[u/HandlessSpermDonor]

I hate it so much

[u/TheFieldAgent]

Quit showing off, China!

[u/wonit5times]

Some 'hike' that!!

[u/Treviathan88]

If America did this, we'd never hear the end of it. Lol

[u/positiveadventures]

Hmmmm not buying it. You still have to walk 50ft between each escalator

[u/positiveadventures]

Hmmmm not buying it. You still have to walk 50ft between each escalator

[u/Crodty]

I hate this for some reason

[u/FunkaholicManiac]

This isn't right! Why?

[u/WendigoCrossing]

Maybe having the escalator that goes up, but just stairs to go down would have been a decent compromise

[u/_unsinkable_sam_]

surely some kinda cable car would have been cheaper and not ruined the landscape as much?

[u/dashape80]

Such natural beauty.

[u/splitowl]

I hate this

[u/fromnochurch]

and cut the mountain apart so dumb so so dumb

(a haiku)

[u/hapalove]

Useful until it swallows someone.

[u/yibtk]

Meanwhile the ccp silences all the young graduated protesting about harsh living conditions in mainland since the end of covid restrictions. But shhh that's a tale for another day...or not

[u/smooze420]

Nightmare fuel imo.

[u/Jim-be]

Is their a cultural reason they do things like this? Was this used to launder money? What’s really going on?

[u/lennonisalive]

Damn that’s horrible

[u/jvargas85296]

man why mess with how amazing this is was, just tell tourist you're too fat cheaper and easy...

[u/Aggressive_Chain_920]

locals must be thrilled

[u/Tommy_Crash]

Remember when America used to build great things? Im Gen X and I don't remember it

[u/peptide2]

Just a matter of time before we get the video where someone gets sucked into one of these

[u/SoloxFly]

To help visitors to hike to the top? Not really hiking though, are they?

[u/ShadowCaster0476]

“Hike”

[u/Shmoke_n_Shniff]

Reminds me of my first Satisfactory world

[u/mjaokalo]

I don't get how this continously works in the open environment.

[u/potato-cheesy-beans]

Being outdoors and on the side of a mountain, it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes for a motor to cut out and the emergency break to fail. 

Remember seeing a video on here not too long ago that showed just that, people basically hurtling down and landing onto the other people below.. that escalator was tiny compared to these. 

[u/Emotional_Ad3710]

A cable car would have been nicer...

[u/ideastoconsider → u/Emotional_Ad3710]

But then what would they do with all the extra hands? 😂

[u/CarcasticSunt42O]

Satisfactory 👀

[u/Halfmoonhero]

“Nature” sites are becoming more and more like this in China. Not to the same extreme but always have to be monetized in every way and “developed”. Like your mountain trail will have speakers installed on the paths blaring harmonious music for the walkers, or there will be a multitude of cars and those road trains to take people to the top of mountains and stuff. I get that’s what they like generally but most of my Chinese friends here generally don’t understand when I tell them I miss nature, like real nature.

[u/2MoreBottle]

Weak

[u/Cursewtfownd]

… and the wheel chair bound are seemingly still screwed.

[u/samueljuarez]

I read “hotpot” and got hungry

[u/Prestigious-Log-7210]

Won’t moisture do some damage to that? I’m confused on this.

[u/Tronkfool]

Uhhh I'm pretty sure this is not how hiking works

[u/vandist]

What's really insane there was no AI voice or techno music at all

[u/curiousamoebas]

Looks like a lot of locals need help as well

[u/bowsmountainer]

Taking all the fun out of hiking

[u/Govt-Issue-SexRobot]

I think Kay bee is on the second level

[u/CBHawk]

China is the land of broken escalators.

[u/Kenneldogg]

All I can picture is the lady "cleaning" the escalator rail without moving the rag.Original video

[u/Quirky_Routine_90]

That's not going to last very long. I've seen this at a local Metro system that had exposed escalators.

[u/phard003]

I wonder how long it takes for the weight of a fully occupied escalator to snap and start rolling backwards with everyone getting ground into a human meatball at the bottom?

[u/MasterMaintenance672]

Hell no. I've seen what Chinese escalators do to people.

[u/esskywalker → u/MasterMaintenance672]

You mean the couple of videos from 10 years ago that everyone is stuck on?

[u/ClosPins]

Holy shit, those are going to kill people the first time there's a gigantic crowd! Think of how much those steps weigh. All that weight (plus the weight of all the people on the escalator) is on some kind of rotating axle at the top. Go look up what happens when those break! Which happens rather frequently on much-shorter escalators.

[u/abiabi2884]

And the people who want to hike it need to walk between 2 iron sheets. Gg. What a bs

[u/bernpfenn → u/abiabi2884]

yes the middle stairs should be rised

[u/edWORD27]

And we’re doing our own hiking with escalators like suckers

[u/OregonGreen242]

Really takes away from the scenery a bit

[u/RastaRambo]

Is it just me or are there suddenly a lot of posts about good things China did? Just like the last few days.

[u/bernpfenn]

He was a brilliant successful sales rep. coming from a small farming village. He sold several km of electric stairs. He was employee of the year. he got a nice commission. he bought a Lamborghini.

[u/ABlueShade]

I've been to Universal Studios

[u/Kyle7053]

That's just lazy.

[u/AmateurPhotographer]

This was an April fools joke I’m almost certain.

[u/t0hk0h]

I've seen what China's escalators can do to people. This'll be where the triad sends those they wanna disappear.

[u/Mr_Hammer_Dik]

Hike?

[u/Jethro_Cohen]

Imagine one of those giving out, like in Rome that one time in 2018. Yeesh.

[u/TheRealRickC137]

Also China:

[u/Used-Bedroom293]

Must be the stairway to heaven

[u/Toulow]

“Nothing in life that’s worth having or experiencing comes easy” - China… you sure about that?

[u/Seaguard5]

Are they solar powered?

How do they handle being out in the elements like that?

[u/KlingelbeuteI]

Just to take a picture up there an go back down. Sorry. A thousand pictures. Cool.

[u/nkp289]

This is probably a dumb question but wouldn’t rain ruin an escalator?

[u/JunglePygmy]

What happens when these do the nightmare escalator thing we’ve all seen videos of?!

[u/nuclearDEMIZE]

What is funny is if this was in the US people wouldn't hesitate to talk about how "lazy" we are but in China it's just a bunch of people saying, "China gonna China" smh

[u/WNNRBL]

As a mountaineer, is see this as an insult to the mountain.

[u/prestonpiggy]

I would walk it for the experience. but lifts ruin the scene.

[u/Load_Business]

Wrong on so many levels

[u/Acrobatic_Tennis_428]

And they worked great for the first 3 weeks…lmao.

[u/Berkamin]

That is obscene. If you can't climb the beautiful mountain, watch people live stream their climbs on YouTube or Bilibili or whatever the counterpart of YouTube is in China.

[u/upandin9]

Hope this was an April fools joke

[u/cococolson]

An elevator, funicular railway, or cable car would probably be a better idea here. Even just a ski lift.

Cannot imagine that all of these parts being outdoors long term is going to hold up well.

[u/randomymetry]

china please do not become like america

[u/ronnietea]

I love nature and there natural escalators

[u/dragnabbit]

They do elevators in other places, and that seems a bit more sensible both in terms of maintenance and cost as well as appearance.

Wikipedia Image

[u/eatbuttholedaily]

[u/ImTheDelsymGod]

i hate when mountains have elevators…. this makes my blood boil

[u/khan9813]

Holy fuck just build a gondola, this is the ugliest thing I’ve seen in a while.

[u/Bombi_Deer]

Whats with all the China posts all across reddit the past few days, seemes really fucking weird

[u/GoldResolution4921]

HOLY UNIVERSAL STUDIOS BATMAN

[u/OtroladoD]

I love how china always wrecks nature like that … this is a nightmare

[u/jbarkley8181]

Gonna jump in line here real quick and check “climb a mountain” off the ole bucket list

[u/chargers949]

Reminds me of universal studios hollywood the park splits in the middle and you ride half a dozen escalators super steep to get to other side.

[u/MarginalMadness]

Sounds about right.

One of the most china moments was when I climbed a mountain, out with a weekend hiking group. The trail crisscrossed across a small river at various points, then stops at an observation point somewhere near the top, where they've put a platform. This was a rural hike but there were still.handrails and steps in various places.

Anyway, we get to the top, and me and a few others want to scramble around to see if we can get to the actual peak. We get a fair way further up and we find the source of the river - a mother fucking water pipe, pumping water down the mountain to create the "hike".

Absolute zhong guo madness.

Tiger leaping gorge has also been ruined with a humongous car park - Joni Mitchell would be rolling in her grave.

[u/Aginowpd]

Cable car was invented in 18xx. In 18xx-1:

[u/Cre8AccountJust4This]

Surely a gondola would be cheaper?

[u/SomethingAbtU]

holy crap that is a lot of escalators. do you need oxygen masks when you get to the top?

[u/Pete_maravich]

What an eyesore.

[u/bigteddyweddy]

Clueless China at it again

[u/WhySoSerious37912]

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be able to climb stairs. But that looks like the next best thing.

[u/Vissiram]

This sound, i theory, excellent for people with disabilities or in 3rd age with mobility problems. I wonder how it will be fucked up

[u/GoodVibesOnly_FL]

[u/puxaesegura]

Ugly stairs montains?

[u/Skoofer]

So stupid, everything is not meant for everybody and this cash grab just put a giant scar on a beautiful spot.