On the Internet you can find many articles about the “most inconvenient store” operating on a sheer cliff at an altitude of 120 m. We decided to check whether such a kiosk actually exists.
Russians talk about the “most inconvenient” (or “most dangerous”) store in the world (TechInsider, "Rules of life"") and Ukrainian (TSN, "Channel 24", "Focus") media. Information about it can be found at information portals, entertaining websites and specialized resources about travel. Social network users (“VKontakte", Facebook*) and blog platforms (“Zen", "Peekaboo") they also discuss the unusual store and its possible assortment. Many of these articles and posts are accompanied by photographs of a tiny kiosk suspended from a sheer cliff.
According to Chinese reports Media, the store referred to in the verified messages is located in a national geological park Xinyuzhai. Fans of extreme tourism can enjoy a variety of activities there: challenging routes for rock climbing and hiking, zip lines and much more. On one of the routes called "Via Ferrata» tourists can actually come across a small kiosk hanging on a rock - its photograph is posted on website Department of Culture and Tourism of Hunan Province, where the park is located.
Chinese media writethat the store was built in 2017 and opened a year later. The unusual location was not chosen by chance: the kiosk is located on one of the climbers’ routes, and it was opened for their convenience. Tourists can get in the store one bottle of water is free, and you can also buy additional drinks or snacks, and, despite the logistical inconveniences, at the same prices as in regular supermarkets. The kiosk is a room measuring only 2 m2where one employee works. To get to the workplace, the seller, like tourists, has to climb the cliff. Sometimes, however, the store costs and without service personnel at all, in which case climbers can pay by scanning the QR code of the product.
Since the kiosk was built for tourists, it is open only during the hours when the national park is open - from 8:00 to 17:00, and not around the clock, as some sources say. The confusion probably occurred due to the fact that in English-language articles this store is often called convenience storewhat can mean both a small shop with essential goods and a 24-hour minimarket.
Thus, in the Xinyuzhai National Park in China, there is indeed a kiosk on a steep cliff where climbers can buy water and snacks. To call it the most inconvenient is not entirely true, since it was built exactly where it is most convenient for clients - climbers climbing this rock - to replenish their supplies of water and food. In addition, this store is not a 24-hour store; its opening hours coincide with the park's opening hours.
*Russian authorities think the company Meta Platforms Inc., which owns the social network Instagram, is an extremist organization; its activities in Russia are prohibited.
Cover photo: video screenshot HIYP
Read on the topic:
- Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Shiniuzhai Scenic Area
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