Ropeway gives economic boost to Gulu Village
Print Edition
ON a precipitous cliff by the roaring Dadu River in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Gulu Village has sat in isolation and poverty for hundreds of years.
Chang Zhaolin is among some 400 Yi ethnic minority people living in the village, known as the “Village on the Ladder to the Sky,” situated on the 1,000-meter-high cliff. And in the past, if Chang or any of the residents had wanted to leave the village they had to use a ladder.
“When I was little, we used to climb down the cliff with a ladder made of sticks and cane,” recalled Chang, 50. “The wind was usually quite strong and often made the ladder dangle. When we looked down, our legs would be shaking.”
In 2003, the local government were looking to improve life for the villagers and built a narrow road, less than a meter wide. But this did not resolve the problem because it took more than six hours from the village to the cliff bottom and back via the road, which snakes along the mountain edge.
“On a market day, we had to set off before dawn and always got back to the village at night,” Chang said.
But soon the treacherous journey will be a thing of the past as a ropeway for cable cars connecting the mountaintop and the bottom of the cliff has been built, and official operation will begin soon.
The ropeway is 650 meters long and 700 meters high. Its cable cars can hold up to 40 people each. What once took three hours from the village to the cliff bottom will now only take three minutes.
“We are currently looking for a company to operate the ropeway,” said village official Luo Yunlian. “We will not only facilitate transportation for fellow villagers, but also try to attract tourists to boost the local economy through the ropeway.”
Historical ancestors
Legend has it that more than 400 years ago, the forefathers of the Gulu villagers had a huge fight with two other big families in Tianba Town and only six of their ancestors survived.
Two of them climbed over the mountains and the Dadu River before reaching the cliff.
They settled into the dangerous landscape, realizing that the spot was easy to guard and hard to conquer. They could overlook their hometown from the top of the mountain.
For now, elementary students in the village have to walk three hours down the mountain road to go to school. Chang Zhaolin said that even adults have to walk the road with extra care, especially when they carry heavy baskets full of goods on their backs.
“Everybody gets nervous when they go on the narrow road,” he said.
Making progress
In 2013, local government discussed plans to tackle the transportation problem in the village.
“Local villagers demanded a highway be built, but it would have cost more than 50 million yuan (US$7 million),” said Hou Hongbin, an official of Yongli Township, which administers Gulu Village. “Besides, building a highway would inevitably damage the ecosystem in the mountain.”
When experts suggested a ropeway would be a better choice to connect the village and the outside world, the idea was met with strong opposition.
“People were suspicious because none of us had tried a ropeway before,” Chang said.
To ease their concerns, township officials went door to door to explain the plan and explained the benefits it would bring.
“A ropeway will not only make it easy to leave and return to the village while protecting the local ecosystem, but will also boost the local tourism industry, which can guarantee long-term revenues,” added Luo Yunlian.
The villagers accepted the plan and, with government funding of 24 million yuan, construction began on a ropeway stretching over the Dadu River in August 2015.
The ropeway is supported by H-shaped hangers and two parallel cables, which keep two cable cars stable even in strong wind. A separate ropeway has been built near the main one for use by safety personnel in case of emergencies.
“I did not expect the journey out of the village to be so easy,” said villager Li Shucai.
A tourist service center has been built near the ropeway station and other improvements have been made to the area in a bid to attract tourists, while 130,000 walnut saplings have been given to local villagers to encourage cultivation of the crop in the lush green mountains.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
