China: Towering cliffside elevator transforms morning commute for rural school students.

Shotlist Xuanwei City, Yunnan Province, southwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of cliffside elevator 2. Various of students, villagers taking shuttle vehicle to cliff elevator 3. Students, villagers walking to take cliff elevator 4. Various of students taking cliff elevator, cable car to school 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Sichun, student (ending with shot 6): "It used to take three and a half hours to get to school via the old route, but now with the elevator, it only takes half an hour." 6. Various of cliff elevators 7. Various of class in progress, teacher writing on board 8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Tian Depu, teacher (ending with shot 9): "In the past, when transportation was poor, it was hard for teachers to come here. The area was quite isolated, with long and difficult mountain roads. Now that conditions have improved, more and more teachers are coming." 9. Various of students playing 10. Aerial shots of village buildings, school 11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yang Jie, Party secretary of Puli Township (partially overlaid with shot 12): "The improved transportation has not only made it easier for children to get to school, but also brought great convenience to the villagers. We're seeing more and more tourists coming in. Homestays and restaurants are popping up, villagers are making more money, and our farm products are finally getting out there." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 12. Aerial of cliff elevator ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 13. Various of tourists on cliff-side steps, cable car traversing between canyon Storyline The once treacherous daily trek to a mountain-top school in a rural county of southwest China's Yunnan Province has been completely transformed thanks to the installation of a towering cliffside elevator and cable car system, which makes the morning commute much less daunting and much more fun for young students who live at the bottom of a canyon. The unique school run is one of the defining features for young residents in Nizhuhe Village, located at the bottom of the Nizhu River Grand Canyon in Yunnan, while the Guanzhai primary school sits hundreds of meters above, high in the mountains. While access in the past was a struggle, that all changed in 2022, with the completion and opening of the Nizhu River Grand Canyon scenic area. That came with the construction of a sophisticated cable car system and an unmissable 268-meter-high cliffside elevator which now stands as an impressive landmark straddling the mountains. While brought in as tourism driver, these transport services were made available to the local villagers, including students, free of charge -- delivering daily travel convenience by removing the need for lengthy detours and making overall commutes much easier. Today, the combination of sightseeing shuttle vehicles, elevators and cable cars has slashed hours off students' previously grueling journey to get to school. A special passage has also been set up for the young pupils, with police officers and dedicated staff members deployed along the route to ensure they get to and from the school safely. "It used to take three and a half hours to get to school via the old route, but now with the elevator, it only takes half an hour," said Ma Sichun, one of the students. The transportation improvements have also helped the previously-remote institution attract more staff members, including younger educators who are now more keen to join the teaching faculty. "In the past, when transportation was poor, it was hard for teachers to come here. The area was quite isolated, with long and difficult mountain roads. Now that conditions have improved, more and more teachers are coming," said Tian Depu, a long-serving teacher at the school. Local officials say the introduction of the mountain lift and cable cars has been revolutionary for the entire community, helping businesses to thrive as more visitors are keen to stop by. "The improved transportation has not only made it easier for children to get to school, but also brought great convenience to the villagers. We're seeing more and more tourists coming in. Homestays and restaurants are popping up, villagers are making more money, and our farm products are finally getting out there," said Yang Jie, Party secretary of the Puli Township.