Page 17 - YunnanTourismCultureTimes (108)

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Going to school on the “cloud school bus”
乘着“云端校车”去上学
By our staff correspondents □ 本刊综合
Nizhuhe Village, located in Puli Township of Xuanwei City, Yunnan Province, lies
precisely at the boundary where Yunnan Province and Guizhou Province meet. It
is a small mountain village nestled within a canyon. In the past, due to the rugged
roads, it took nearly six hours for the villagers residing in the valley to make a round- villager from Nizhuhe Village, was perceptive enough to recognize
trip from the bottom to the top of the mountain. In 2022, the Nizhuhe Grand Canyon
Ecological and Cultural Tourism Scenic Area in the local area was officially complet- converted four rooms into an inn and also offers catering servic-
ed and put into service. The 268-meter-high elevator and the aerial cable car with
a height difference of nearly 200 meters not only offer the children a “cloud school
bus” that can directly take them to the top of the mountain for school, but also ena- of rooms to 20,” Chen Yuqin stated. During the warm-weather sea-
ble the local villagers to earn a livelihood from tourism.
云南省宣威市普立乡尼珠河村地处云南省与贵州省交界处，是一个藏在峡谷中的小山村，
从前，崎岖的道路使得住在山谷的村民从谷底通往山顶往返一趟需要近 6 个小时。2022 年，当
地的尼珠河大峡谷生态文化旅游景区正式建成运营，高达 268 米的电梯和近 200 米高差的高空
索道缆车让孩子们上学不仅有了直达山顶的“云端校车”，当地村民也因此吃上了“旅游饭”。
VILLAGES | 村寨
Primary School in Puli Township, Xuanwei City, Yunnan Province.
On February 23, it was the opening day of Guanzhai Complete
The primary school students from Nizhuhe Village had made prior
arrangements. They packed enough clothes for a 10-day period,
slung their schoolbags over their shoulders, and then took the “cloud
school bus” to go to school and complete the registration process.
Nizhuhe Village is a secluded small mountain village hid-
den within a canyon. The Nizhuhe River adjacent to the village
meanders from south to north, carving out a deep canyon in the
mountains. For years, the nearest route for the students in Nizhuhe
Village to travel from the bottom of the valley to the school on the
cliff-top was the precipitous path in the river valley. This road was
rife with gullies, being extremely deep and steep, and a round-trip
took nearly six hours.
In 2022, the Nizhuhe Grand Canyon Ecological and Cultural
Tourism Scenic Area was fully completed and commenced oper-
ation. The 268-meter-high elevator and the aerial cable car with a
height difference exceeding 200 meters were successively brought
into service and made available free of charge to the villagers of
Nizhuhe Village and Guanzhai Village. Thanks to this, the children
from Nizhuhe Village now have a “cloud school bus” that can di-
rectly transport them to the cliff-top for school. Additionally, Yun-
nan’s Qujing Power Supply Bureau under China Southern Power
Grid has provided a dual-power supply system for the elevator.
This measure ensures the year-round, uninterrupted operation of
the “cloud school bus”.
“After taking the elevator up to the ‘cloud’, I finally realized
that my hometown is actually extremely beautiful,” remarked
Wang Jiao, a primary school student. Cui Ying, the teaching direc-
tor of Guanzhai Complete Primary School, observed that since the
transportation situation has improved, the students from Nizhuhe
Village have become much more motivated in their studies.
The “cloud school bus” not only safely conveys the village
children to school but also enables more people to behold the
magnificent scenery deep within the mountains. Chen Yuqin, a
the potential for local tourism development at an early stage. She
es. Her annual gross earnings can range from 400,000 to 500,000
yuan. “This year, I plan to expand the inn and increase the number
son, the rooms are nearly always fully occupied every day, and the
courtyard is teeming with tourists coming for meals.
The once-obscure small mountain village is now abuzz with
tourists, having evolved into a valuable catalyst for income growth
and prosperity. In 2024, the Nizhuhe Grand Canyon Scenic Area
welcomed 300,000 visitors annually, injecting nearly 20 million
yuan into the local economy. The scenic area’s development has
substantially uplifted the living standards of Nizhuhe’s villagers.
The village’s tourism-based business landscape is burgeoning with
diversity. Villagers have established rustic eateries, coffeehouses,
hotels, and homestays. Now, they can make a living from tourism
without leaving home. Consequently, numerous villagers who had
previously migrated for work have come back to their hometowns,
eager to partake in the local development opportunities.
Cai Xiong, the chairman of the scenic area’s development
company, is an entrepreneur who hails from the mountains. After
attaining career success, he returned to his hometown and dedicat-
ed himself wholeheartedly to its construction. “The vertical sight-
seeing elevator not only offers convenience to tourists. Every time
I consider that the children can use this safe route to commute to
and from school, I feel that all my endeavors are truly rewarding,”
Cai remarked, his eyes glistening with pride as he spoke about the
original intention behind its construction.
“This project isn't just about leading the villagers to prosperity;
it should also serve as a ‘sky-reaching ladder’ for the children. I
hope they can ascend this ladder to venture out of the mountains,
gain experiences and grow. Eventually, they’ll return equipped with
skills to build their hometown into an even more beautiful place,”
he added.