Bailong Elevator facts
Chinese Name: 百龙天梯
Opened to the public since April, 2002
Height: 335 meters (1099 feet)
Maximum capacity: 50 passengers at a time, and totally 4000 passengers per hour when three elevators running simultaneously (one way)
Speed: It was barreling at a speed of 3 meters per second, and has been accelerated to 5 meters per second since 2013 after being updated.
One-way travel time: The initial travel time of one minute 58 seconds has been shortened to 66 seconds since 2015.
Ticket price: RMB72 (one way)
Bailong Elevator or Hundred Dragons Elevator is located in
Wulingyuan Scenic Area in
Zhangjiajie, which is one of the
World Natural Heritage sites in China. The main equipment of Bailong Elevator was designed and produced by Rangger Elevator Company from German, costing 180 million yuan. The elevator was listed into the Guinness World Records, because it is honored as “the highest, the fastest, largest-loaded outdoor elevator in the world". In April, 2013, Bailong Elevator, along with German aquarium elevator, American arches elevator and other elevators, is ranked as one of the top 11creative elevators. It is the only elevator in China on the list.
Bailong Elevator is very magnificent. The total height of it is 335 meters (1099 feet), of which the running height is 326 meters (1069 feet). 154 meters (505 feet) of the total height is in the mountain wells and the rest of 172 meters (564 feet) was composed of steel derrick and other components. The Elevator includes three exposure sightseeing elevators running parallelly. Each elevator can take 50 passengers every time and the speed is 3 m / s (the speed has been accelerated to 5m / s since 2013). If the three elevators run simultaneously, the amount of one-way passengers will reach 4,000 per hour.
The construction of Bailong Elevator can allow people to “go sightseeing up the mountain during the day, stay down the mountain at night in one day". So it provides convenience in transportation for visitors. Moreover, passengers can appreciate peerless scenery in the elevator, including World Bridge of Yuanjiajie, Wulong village and Yangjiajie etc. The elevator integrates Mount Tianzi, Yuanjiajie, Jinbian Stream as a single entity, solving traffic bottlenecks problem in this scenic spot which bothers the visitors for many years.
Function of Bailong Elevator
Bailong Elevator provides visitors with convenient transportation and it plays an important role in moving the sites of hotels and other reception facilities out of the scenic area. So it helps to effectively protect the environment.
Yuanjiajie is another world natural heritage in Wulingyuan scenic area. Previously, visitors must take more than three hours to drive on dangerous mountain road to Yuanjiajie. It would take more than five hours if you drive from the foot of mountain to Yuanjiajie scenic spot. Since Bailong Elevator was accessible to visitors, the time has shortened to be one minute and 58 seconds, which is considered to be a miracle.
After doing the environmental assessment, experts who is responsible to the protection of the World Natural Heritage says Bailong Elevator do more good than harm. The elevators contributed to the stay of visitors and the removing of hotel accommodation. There used to be plenty of hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation facilities. When the travel peak season arrives, many visitors come to this place, which damage the environmental seriously. Therefore, Zhangjiajie municipal government takes measures to remove many hotels and other living facilities to control the number of the reception facilities, so that it can provide the greatest protection to environment. Today, Bailong Elevator helps to greatly reduce the travel time. Visitors do not need to stay on the mountains due to the convenient traffic, and this reduced the harm to the environment.