Facilities of scenic area help shorten children's journey to school in China's Yunnan

2月23日，云南省宣威市普立鄉尼珠河村的小學生們乘坐觀光電梯。2月23日是云南省宣威市普立鄉官寨完小開學報到的日子，家住尼珠河村的小學生們相約一起，收拾好10天的換洗衣物，背上書包去學校報到。與其他小學生不相同的是，他們上學乘坐的是“云端校車”。尼珠河村是一個藏在峽谷中的小山村，村邊的尼珠河由南向北，在山間曲折蜿蜒切出一道峽谷，一邊是云南宣威，一邊是貴州六盤水。從前，住在山谷的村民從谷底通往山頂最近的路就是河谷中的崖壁路，路上溝壑相間、幽深陡峭，往返一趟近6個小時。為了上學，村里的孩子和家長每隔10天至少要往返一次。2022年，“山高谷深坡陡”的上學路迎來轉機。當地的尼珠河大峽谷生態文化旅游景區正式建成運營，高達268米的電梯和近200米高差的高空索道纜車陸續投入使用，并對尼珠河村及附近的村民免費開放，孩子們上學有了直達山頂的“云端校車”。南方電網云南曲靖供電局還為電梯提供了雙電源供電，確保“云端校車”全年正常運行。如今，當地的孩子先乘坐六七分鐘景區觀光車，轉乘觀光電梯垂直爬升268米，再換乘空中纜車爬升200余米，加上步行，半小時就能到學校。[新華社記者 江文耀 攝]

Students from Nizhuhe Village prepare to take a sightseeing elevator on their way to school in Puli Township, Xuanwei City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 23, 2025. Feb. 23 is the day for students of Guanzhaiwan Primary School in Puli Township to report for the new semester. Children from Nizhuhe Village packed their bags and set off for school. What sets them apart from other students is their mode of transportation. Nizhuhe Village is a small hamlet nestled in a deep valley carved by the Nizhu River meandering from south to north. In the past, the villagers' shortest route from the valley floor to the mountaintop was a perilous cliffside path, a journey that took nearly six hours for a round trip. Children and their parents living here had to make this arduous trek at least once every ten days. In 2022, a significant change came to this challenging journey. A local scenic area along the Nizhu River was officially completed and began operations. A 268-meter-high sightseeing elevator and a cable car system were put into use, offering free access to the villagers of Nizhuhe and nearby areas. This provided the children with a direct "cloud shuttle" to the mountaintop. Nowadays, thanks to the sightseeing shuttle vehicles, elevator and cable cars of the scenic spot, the children's journey to school was shortened to just half an hour. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)