Elderly 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
Elderly 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 May 30, a video taken by a netizen showing the man - whose name and age were unknown - riding the lift caught the attention of the authorities.
The man claimed that his lift was not a nuisance to the neighbours because it moved silently, and he did not use it after 8pm.
He 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.'
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