Old man in China built a lift to get home, but had to tear it down after video went viral
The lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked the man's apartment to a lamp post across the street. PHOTO: DUSHI PINDAO/REDNOTE
The lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked the man's apartment to a lamp post across the street. PHOTO: DUSHI PINDAO/REDNOTE
Old man in China built a lift to get home, but had to tear it down after video went viral
An old man in northeast China who needed a lift up to his apartment on the 5th floor of a lift-less building decided to take matters into his own hands - by building one himself from scratch.
That was in 2020 when the man from Huludao city in Liaoning province felt that age was catching up with him. But five years later in 2025, the authorities also caught up with him.
That was because the lift system he assembled did not comply with China's Special Equipment Safety Law that covers machinery such as lifts, passenger ropeways and large carnival rides.
His suspended lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked his apartment to a lamp post across the street, reported Chinese media outlets.
On June 2, a video of an interview showing the man - whose name and age were unknown - demonstrating his invention went viral, and caught the attention of the authorities.
In the interview, he said his lift was not a nuisance to the neighbours because it moved silently, and he did not use it after 8pm.
The man said he found it inconvenient for old people to walk up and down the stairs due to the lack of a lift, and that spurred him to build one at a cost of more than 7,000 yuan (S$1,250).
He even successfully applied for a patent for his innovation.
But on June 3, he dismantled the lift after he was repeatedly asked by local authorities to do so for his own safety as well as the residents' in the area.
Naysayers on Chinese social media Weibo felt that the installation was dangerous for a residential area, and expressed concerns that the metal parts will get corroded by weather.
But there were also some who supported the man's innovativeness.
'It can still be used after modification for safety,' wrote one Weibo user, adding that the authorities should not remove it for 'no rhyme or reason'.
Another user said: 'I want to get one for my granny too, so that she can make her way up and down easily. Now, she can't even leave the house.'
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Straits Times
Forum: More benches for more inclusive malls
During a recent visit to a large mall, I found myself walking in circles trying to locate something surprisingly scarce – a place to sit. Benches near escalators or along corridors have been replaced by product displays, pop-up booths or empty space. This may seem like a small inconvenience, but for the elderly, those with mobility issues, or even just someone with a heavy bag, such benches bring much-needed relief. To be fair, many of these seats were removed during the pandemic to facilitate safe distancing. But years on, they haven't returned. Accessible public seating is important in an ageing society like ours. Urban spaces should reflect not only commercial intent, but also care and dignity for the people who use them. A seat is a gesture of inclusivity. Sometimes, all we really need after an hour on our feet is a bench. Ethan Tan, 20 More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Straits Times
Working hard to look busy: why Gen Z employees are ‘task masking'
Perhaps the next time you notice your younger colleague swept up in a flurry of furious typing, reassure them their contribution is valued. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG You stride across the office, laptop in hand, heading to the first of many meetings you have lined up for the day. Back at your desk, piled with print-outs, company pens and empty Huel bottles, you hunch over your screen, keyboard clattering. A scowl breaks into a loud sigh. Such behaviour may resemble that of a junior analyst hard-pressed to meet a deadline. According to social media, however, these are also the hallmarks of Gen Z's latest coping mechanism: task masking, or acting like they are working hard, while hardly working at all. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Japan-US-Philippines coast guards simulate crisis amid China threat
(From left) The US Coast Guard ship 'Cutter Stratton', Japan Coast Guard ship 'Asanagi' and Philippine Coast Guard ship 'Teresa Magbanua' in formation during maritime exercises in the waters around the southern Japanese city of Kagoshima. PHOTO: AFP On board the Asanagi, Japan - Helicopters buzzed in the shadow of a smouldering volcano and boats rescued dummies from the sea this week in a show of maritime unity by Japan, the United States and the Philippines. The joint coast guard exercises held off Japan's south-west shore follow a warning from the three countries about Chinese activity in disputed regional waters. Tensions between China and other claimants to parts of the East and South China Seas have pushed Japan to deepen ties with the Philippines and the United States. This week marked the second time the countries' coast guards have held training drills together, and the first in Japan. They took place over five days off the coast of Kagoshima, where Sakurajima volcano dominates the skyline, quietly puffing out smoke and ash. Dozens of personnel took part, with the June 20 final exercises featuring one vessel from each of the three countries' coast guards. They included the BRP Teresa Magbanua, which was provided to the Philippines by Japan through a loan agreement. The 2,265-ton vessel, named after a schoolteacher and revolutionary, usually monitors Chinese boats in the South China Sea. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, which Beijing claims almost entirely, despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis. Chinese and Japanese patrol vessels in the East China Sea also routinely face off around disputed islands. On June 20, Manila accused China of using a water cannon on two of its fisheries department boats as they attempted to resupply Philippine fishermen near the disputed Scarborough Shoal. Man overboard! The US Coast Guard was represented in the exercises by the cutter Stratton, which can carry up to 170 personnel, and Japan by the 6,000-ton Asanagi. The June 20 drills began with a simulation of a person falling overboard. Once the dummy, wearing a bright red lifejacket, was in the water, a US drone was launched from the Stratton, circling high above as it scanned the area. A small Philippine rescue boat then emerged from the Teresa Magbanua, zipping across the water before coast guard personnel fished the dummy out of the water. Other rescue scenarios enacted included a Japanese helicopter racing from shore to pull a human subject from the sea. The helicopter's rotor blades whipped up the calm blue waters, where the occasional small hammerhead shark could be seen idly swimming alongside the Asanagi. The exercises concluded with a simulated collision and fire, with all three coast guards blasting the stricken vessel with their water cannons. Trust-building Japan Coast Guard official Naofumi Tsumura said the joint exercises had 'built mutual understanding and trust'. 'More than anything, we have strengthened coordination and cooperation between us,' he said. In 2024, the three countries issued a joint statement that included strong language aimed at Beijing. 'We express our serious concerns about the People's Republic of China's (PRC) dangerous and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea,' it said, describing 'dangerous and coercive use of Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels'. They also expressed 'strong opposition to any attempts by the PRC to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea'. This week's joint exercises were the first since the statement was released. Tsumura said there were small details that could have worked better and vowed to improve in future collaborations. He said the three countries' coast guards had 'come to understand each other better, or as the Japanese often say, to know each other by face'. 'I believe we are now able to conduct maritime rescue operations more effectively,' he said. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
