The Bailong Elevator (literally Hundred Dragons Elevator) is a glass elevator built onto the side of a huge cliff in the Wulingyuan area of Zhangjiajie, China that is 1,070 feet (330 m) high. It is claimed to be the highest and heaviest outdoor elevator in the world. Construction of the elevator began in October 1999, and it was opened to the public by 2002. The environmental effects of the elevator have been a subject of debate and controversy, as the Wulingyan area was designated a World Heritage Site in 2002. Operations were stopped for 10 months in 2002-2003, reportedly due to safety concerns, not environmental ones.
The glass elevator runs along a cliff face. The first 154 meters runs through a underground shaft and the rest 172 meters outside the summit. The elevator takes 50 people per ride and takes about 2 minutes from top to bottom giving it a daily capacity of 18,000 people. It is the highest and heaviest outdoor elevator in the world but is facing an uncertain future since it was built in 1999 without consulting the World Heritage Committee and the construction of new structures are forbidden. The claim is that it is causing harm to it’s surrounding landscape.
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