By the fourth day of the May Day holiday, the Xuelong Mountain Cableway of Xupu County, Huaihua, was witnessing a fresh surge in visitors. Setting a new single-day record that surpassed the totals from the preceding three days, it welcomed over 6,000 visitors by the morning of May 4 alone. This performance has firmly established it as the most dazzling "cloud-top engine" driving the county's holiday culture and tourism market.

Since its opening on May 1, the cableway has sustained exceptional popularity. On the very first day of the holiday, it welcomed over 10,000 visitors, marking its first major May Day passenger surge since the trial operation began. By May 4, Xupu County had received approximately 372,000 tourist visits in total, generating about 142 million yuan in tourism revenue. Average occupancy rates for accommodation facilities across the county approached 80%, while booking rates at key guesthouses and lodgings near the cableway exceeded 90%, highlighting a significant "extended stay" effect. On May 4, visitor enthusiasm remained undiminished, with single-day cableway traffic climbing to a new holiday peak. Special attractions—including the Cloud Market, Zen Camping Ground, and the Flower Yao folk performance—continued to draw visitors from far and wide.

Stretching 7,600 meters with a vertical drop of 1,158.5 meters, the cableway is China’s only cableway project that "spans two cities with one line." Its lower station is located next to Xupu South Railway Station on the Shanghai–Kunming High-Speed Railway while the mid-station is situated at Huanglong Village, Beidouxī Town, Xupu County, and the upper station leads directly to the Beidou Peak area in Longhui County, Shaoyang City, at an altitude of over 1,500 meters—linking two prefecture-level cities along a single cable.

Relying on a seamless "High-Speed Rail + Cableway" transfer system, it connects premium scenic spots such as Chuanyan Mountain National Forest Park in Xupu, the Shanbei Flower Yao Terraced Fields, and the Hutou Mountain Grand Flower Yao Scenic Area in Longhui into a continuous tourism chain, creating a golden travel route between Huaihua and Shaoyang. Where journeys between the two counties once took about three hours, the trip can now be made in just 23 minutes—crossing the clouds straight to the destination.

The completion of the cableway has also become a "prosperity line" driving income growth for communities along its route. According to estimates, the project has created over 10,000 job opportunities in surrounding townships, raising the annual per capita income by approximately 20,000 yuan. Within the cableway’s reach, tourist numbers at nearby scenic spots have surged year-on-year, while homestays, catering, and other businesses are thriving. Many villagers on the mountaintop have started running farmhouse restaurants, and young people are planning to promote local specialties—such as Flower Yao embroidery and terraced-field rice—through live-streaming sales. "Since the cableway opened, our terrace sightseeing and homestay business have visibly improved," remarked a local Flower Yao resident from Shanbei Village. Relying on a "Government + Enterprise + Farmer" cooperation model, the Xuelong Mountain Cableway is turning clear waters and green mountains into genuine "gold and silver mountains" of income for the local population.

(Translated by Feng Tao)