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In China, the world’s largest escalator, called Goddess Escalator, connects areas of Wushan, in Chongqing, with 905 meters, 21 interconnected escalators, eight elevators, and a 21-minute route, reducing a walk of more than an hour and attracting tourists to the mountainous Chinese region daily outdoors.
The world’s largest escalator was inaugurated in China as the Goddess Escalator, in the county of Wushan, in Chongqing, and transformed a difficult climb into a new urban experience. The structure connects city points through escalators, elevators, and walkways.
With 905 meters in length and a height difference of over 240 meters, the system is equivalent to a climb of about 80 floors. According to the portal nd+, the complete route takes approximately 21 minutes, replacing a walk that previously could take over an hour in one of the most rugged regions of Chongqing.
Project in China transforms mountainous climb into urban route
The Chongqing region is known for its complex terrain, with slopes, height differences, and urban areas built at different levels. In Wushan, this scenario created a daily challenge for residents who needed to move between the lower and higher parts of the municipality for years.
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The solution found was to create an outdoor vertical mobility system. The world’s largest escalator does not function as a single continuous escalator, but as an interconnected set of structures that overcome different sections of the mountain.
The complex starts near Ningjiang Street and heads towards the higher points of the city. Along the route, users pass through platforms, walkways, suspension bridges, and integration areas with traditional staircases.
The proposal combines urban mobility and visual experience. While reducing the physical effort of the climb, the structure also offers views of the Three Gorges region, turning a daily commute into a tourist attraction.
System has 21 escalators and eight elevators
The project includes 21 interconnected escalators, distributed along the route. They work in sequence to allow residents and visitors to overcome the altitude difference without relying solely on conventional stairs.
In addition to the stairs, the system includes eight elevators installed at strategic points. These devices help overcome the steeper sections and make the structure more accessible for different user profiles.
The world’s largest escalator also includes suspension bridges and walkways, responsible for connecting urban platforms at different levels. This creates a continuous route between areas that previously required much more time and physical effort.
The integration with traditional staircases shows that the project does not completely replace the existing urban network. It adds to the city’s layout and creates a faster alternative for those who need to go up or down the mountainous region.
21-minute journey replaces walk of more than an hour
Before the inauguration, the journey between the points connected by the structure could require more than an hour of walking. In an area of steep incline, this time represented an obstacle especially for the elderly, workers, tourists, and residents who depend on the route daily.
With the new structure, the ascent now takes about 21 minutes. The difference shows how a vertical mobility project can change the routine of a city built on rugged terrain.
The elevation difference of over 240 meters helps explain the scale of the challenge. In practical terms, climbing this height is equivalent to overcoming approximately 80 floors, something uncommon in urban routes made on foot.
The impact goes beyond time savings. The world’s largest escalator reduces physical strain, facilitates access to the high points of Wushan, and creates a new flow of circulation in an area where the terrain has always conditioned urban life.
Investment exceeded R$ 120 million
The construction took about four years to complete. The reported investment was approximately 158 million yuan, equivalent to about R$ 120.7 million.
The engineer Huang Wei, responsible for the design of the project, told the Financial Times that, as far as he knows, there is no similar structure. The statement reinforces the unusual nature of the project, which combines urban engineering, tourism, and adaptation to the terrain.
The world’s largest escalator draws attention because it solves a local problem with a global-scale solution. Instead of just creating an attraction, the project was born to address a real transportation challenge in a mountainous city.
The investment also shows how China has been betting on urban infrastructure with great visual impact. In this case, the project is not only functional: it has become a symbol of modernization in a region that already sparks curiosity due to its terrain and landscape.
Structure became a tourist attraction in Wushan
Although it serves a transportation function, the “Goddess Escalator” quickly gained tourist appeal. The open-air route allows visitors to observe the mountainous landscape and have a panoramic view of the Three Gorges region.
The daily flow reaches an average of nine thousand passengers. Users pay a specific fee to use the service, reinforcing the mix between urban mobility and tourist attraction.
During the last Spring Festival, the popularity became even more evident. Local authorities recorded a record movement of 450 thousand users, a number that shows the public’s interest in the new structure.
The world’s largest escalator has ceased to be just a shortcut and has become a destination. For tourists, it offers an unusual experience. For residents, it represents a more practical way to face terrain that has always made commuting more difficult.
Chongqing reinforces its reputation as a multi-level city
The Chongqing region is already known on the internet as a kind of “8D city,” a nickname linked to the complexity of its roads, buildings, bridges, stations, and different urban levels. Wushan now enters this imagination with a project that seems made to go viral.
The new structure reinforces the image of a China capable of transforming geographical challenges into large-scale engineering projects. Instead of bypassing the mountain, the system embraces the terrain as part of the experience.
This type of project draws attention because it deviates from the standard of conventional urban solutions. In flat cities, escalators of this size would be hard to justify. In Wushan, the terrain creates a real need for equipment of this size.
The result is a structure that combines transportation, landscape, and public curiosity. The world’s largest escalator functions as an urban solution but also as a postcard of a region that found in its own mountainous terrain a unique feature.
A project that mixes mobility, tourism, and urban spectacle
The inauguration of the structure in Wushan shows how mobility works can surpass their original function. The initial idea was to reduce the effort of a long climb; the result was an attraction capable of drawing visitors, generating viral images, and repositioning the region on the tourist map.
With almost 1 km in length, 21 escalators, eight elevators, and a 21-minute journey, the work impresses with its numbers. But the most interesting point lies in the change of use: what was once a difficult walk has become a planned experience.
The world’s largest escalator also raises a question about the future of cities in rugged areas. Instead of relying solely on streets, buses, or stairways, vertical projects can create new forms of urban circulation.
And you, do you think a work like this is a smart solution for mountainous cities or an engineering exaggeration that became a tourist attraction? Share your opinion.
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