There is nothing written about tastes. There are those who choose to enjoy their vacation on a relaxed beach, going from the beach bar to the hammock and from the hammock to the dips, and those who prefer to put on a helmet, fasten a seat belt and take a walk down a fragile 170-meter ladder. between two cliffs hundreds of meters high. The latter is what more and more Chinese choose to do in Mount Qixing, in the southwest of the country, where a tourist attraction not suitable for heart sufferers or people with vertigo is gaining popularity: Tianti, a word that can be literally translated as “staircase of the darling”.
The expression gives a clear clue as to what it is like.
The “stairway to heaven”. The phrase may be too poetic or seem exaggerated, but when you see photographs and videos of the installation mounted between the cliffs of Mount Quixing, in the Zhangjiajie Natural Park, you understand much better why they call it that: Tianti, which means “staircase.” from heaven.”
It is nothing more nor less than that: a rudimentary staircase, made up of cables and crossbars, measuring 168 meters and extending between two cliffs at an astonishing altitude, rising to hundreds of meters. How many exactly? CNN talks about around 1,500 meters.
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A privileged landscape. As one of the visitors who has already crossed Tianti explains to CNN, the facility is ideal for adventurers who “like to challenge themselves.” But there is another reason why the “staircase to heaven” triumphs, beyond its peculiar promise of traveling 168 meters at a height not suitable for people with vertigo: the landscape that surrounds it.
Zhangjiajie Forest Park in Hunan Province is popular for its rock structures, which erosion has shaped into pillars. In addition to Tianti, it is also known for the Bailong Elevator, a 326 m open-air elevator, the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, opened in 2016, and its cable cars. To be more precise, the “heaven ladder” is integrated into Mount Quixing, a via ferrata-style climbing trail that includes steel handrails, footrests, tie-downs and cables.
Vertigo no, equipment yes. CNN recently interviewed Yuan Xiaorui, an employee of the company in charge of operating the Mount Quixing attraction, and who clarified some keys to the experience: the complete route along the via ferrata lasts about three hours, costs 580 yuan (80 dollars) and those who embark on the adventure do so accompanied by instructors and with equipment.
“Customers will be equipped with helmets, seat belts and protective bags,” says Xiaorui. In the videos shared on social networks or by CNN about the Tianti stairs, you can see how visitors wear helmets and belts that keep them attached to the stairs’ cables. On X, Reddit or Instagram you can find references to “Vía Lada”.
“The Lada Way of Qixing Mountain, in Zhangjiajie, has a gradient of 1,480 meters and the longest staircase is 168 meters. My legs felt weak even after looking at the screen,” Treasure, a travel account, published at the end of October. with around 1.5 million followers on Instagram.
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Collapses at heights. For people with vertigo, the experience of moving down a cliff can be shocking (with or without a belt), but the truth is that in Zhangjiajie there seems to be no shortage of people willing to experience it. In August the state media CCTV prepared a report in which it spoke of more than 1,200 tourists daily. What’s more, he claims that the attraction has become so popular that on one occasion there was a traffic jam at the heights, a scene not unlike others seen on Everest or Fuji.
From networks to the media. That Tianti has gained so much fame is not only due to its landscapes. Social networks have helped him a lot. On Douyin, Instagram’s sister app in China, a video recorded by He Qian while climbing went viral not long ago. In the piece he shows what the staircase looks like and the panoramic view from it. “I wasn’t nervous, my son was,” he jokes in an interview with CNN. There has been no shortage of reactions to his recording from people who confess that they would not imitate him for a fortune. “My hands are sweating just looking at it!” writes one.
“For lovers of extreme climbing”. Some videos can also be seen on X. @KoneserUnii published one in October, apparently recorded with drones, which helps to better understand the user who claims to feel vertigo just from looking at the images through the mobile phone.
“The cliff of this mountain reaches an impressive height of 1,480 meters, making it a unique destination for lovers of extreme climbing. The longest staircase on the route measures 168 m, which is a challenge even for experienced climbers “, he shares. The success of the structure among visitors has given it visibility in media such as CNN or the CCTV channel.
Click on the image to go to the tweet.
Beyond Tianti. The stairs of the Mount Quixing trail may be impressive due to their height and setting, but their success is not so strange in China, where there are other attractions that are not recommended for the faint of heart. And you don’t have to look far. In Hunan itself there is the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, a transparent structure that rises to a height of 360 meters, or the Bailong elevator, made of glass, which also allows you to ascend the side of a cliff to a height of 326 m. .
Images | The Zenith (Flickr)
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