Shop Opened on 120-Meter Cliffside so Climbers Do not Go Thirsty
A nature park in China's Hunan province is playing host to a venture that defies all conventions. A tiny wooden hut, dubbed the world's 'most inhospitable' and 'most unsuitable' grocery store, hangs precariously on the edge of a sheer cliff, a full 120 meters above the ground. The staff working at this store face the daily challenge of hauling dozens of kilos of goods up the cliff on their backs.
Located in the south of China, Shiniuzhai Natural Beauty Area, renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and extreme mountain activities, has made headlines worldwide with an unprecedented grocery store.
Named after its hills that resemble an ox's back, the 'Stone Ox Village' (Shiniuzhai) has seen climbers resort to an extraordinary method to tackle their issues of thirst and hunger. A tiny wooden hut, mounted on sheer cliffs at a height of approximately 394 feet from the ground, has become the sole refuge for these mountaineers.
After a full year of construction, this tiny market, which went viral again on social media, opened its doors in 2018. It's located on an 800-meter "via ferrata" route, a term in Italian meaning "Iron Road".
This challenging course, comprised of metal anchors to which climbers secure themselves for safety as they navigate steep cliffs, takes a full 90 minutes to reach the mountain's summit.
Song Huizhou, the General Manager of Shiniuzhai, points out that every climber who embarks on this arduous journey is entitled to a complimentary bottle of water upon reaching the store.
While the existence of the shop is indeed a stroke of luck for mountaineers, working there requires nothing short of absolute professionalism.
On the Chinese social network Weibo, hundreds of thousands of followers are making jokes about a shop that relies entirely on human power for logistics, stating it's 'truly a daunting task for the staff'.
According to a store employee, every day they haul dozens of bottles of water and snacks up a steep cliff, all packed into their backpacks. Despite this relentless labor, the products in the shop are not sold at exorbitant prices; a bottle of drink reaches the climbers for a mere 5 to 7 yuan (less than a dollar).
The landlocked province of Hunan, home to a population of 64 million, also shares its borders with the majestic columnar cliffs of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. This awe-inspiring landscape served as the inspiration for the floating mountains in the legendary 2009 film "Avatar," directed by none other than James Cameron.
This tiny two-square-meter shop perched on the edge of a cliff continues to make global headlines, not only for its extraordinary architecture, but also for the incredible determination of its staff.
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