Monday, November 25, 2024
China has 3.7 million square miles of land to explore. But more and more young Chinese travelers are opting to see their country from the sky.
Tianti, or “Sky Ladder” in Chinese, is the most recent of these striking constructions. According to Chinese state media, it is 551 feet (168 meters) long and extends between two cliffs at a height of 5,000 feet.
The site is situated atop Mount Qixing in Zhangjiajie Nature Park, which is in the Hunan province of southwest China. This region is well-known for its varied landforms and intricate terrain.
This specific ferrata-style climbing trail was constructed on a mountainside using steel handrails, footrests, tethers, and ropes to allow users to ascend the sheer rock walls.
“That kid is my son, and the feet in this video are mine,” He Qian, whose Tianti climbing video went viral on China’s Douyin, the sister app to TikTok, claimed.
Hundreds of people liked the video, which showed her feet on the ladder before panning slowly to show her nine-year-old son sitting on the ladder in a composed manner.
He told CNN, “I wasn’t anxious; my son was, but he was fine shortly after.”
In addition to helping guests reserve tickets for the new attraction, He Qian owns a nearby bed and breakfast.
“Those who enjoy pushing themselves enjoy doing this,” she continued. “They were all afraid at first, but I’ve helped dozens of them get their tickets.”
According to state-run television channel CCTV, the towering attraction in Zhangjiajie welcomes around 1,200 visitors daily on average. There was even a “people jam” in the air at one point since it has grown so popular.
Since then, films like He Qian’s that feature amazing points of view from the ferrata and the ladder have garnered tens of thousands of likes and shares, making Zhangjiajie Ferrata a popular trending subject on Chinese social media.
Under another widely shared clip, a commenter commented, “Just watching it has my hands sweating.”
On Douyin, someone wrote, “Even if someone gave me 10 million, I wouldn’t try.”
According to Yuan Xiaorui, marketing supervisor of Qixing Adventure, the firm that runs the Mount Qixing attraction, the cost of the three-hour via ferrata trip is 580 yuan ($80), as reported by CNN.
Yuan stated, “Coaches will accompany the entire process.” “In addition, clients are outfitted with hiking backpacks, safety belts, and helmets.”
Yuan added that the whole area is regularly inspected and “any problems found would be eliminated in a timely manner.”
The number of people participating in outdoor sports in China has exceeded 400 million as of August, 2024, according to CCTV.
Other sky-high attractions are proving successful around the country, including a death-defying $56 cup of coffee at a cliffside cafe with views of Taiwan and the world’s “most inconvenient convenience store” that provides supplies to hikers suspended off the side of a mountain in Hunan province.
