A tiny wooden shed perched on a steep cliff in a scenic southern Chinese region has earned the nickname of “most inconvenient convenience store” in the country.

Hanging a whopping 120 meters above the ground, the 2-square-meter shop replenishes climbers with drinks and light refreshments in the Shiniuzhai Scenic Area in Hunan Province, according to photos published in Chinese newspapers.

Shiniuzhai is known for its hilly landscape, which offers breathtaking views and a range of thrilling mountain-based activities. It’s also home to Haohan Qiao, or “Brave Men’s Bridge,” which, upon opening in 2015, was China’s first glass-bottomed bridge.

The name Shiniuzhai — “stone ox village” in Chinese — was inspired by one of the hills, which is shaped like the back of an ox.

The convenience store is located along an 800-meter via ferrata route. Via ferrata — Italian for “iron way” — is a pathway along a mountain that uses metal anchors and other structures that climbers can fasten themselves to as they make their way up and across challenging terrain.

The store sparked a buzz when it opened in 2018 after a year of construction. It returned to the spotlight following recent reports on Chinese media, captivating social media users.

“The most inconvenient convenience store,” a popular blogger, who has more than 889,400 fans, quipped on Chinese social network Weibo last week.

Another user joked: “It’s very demanding for the staff members.”

The journey to the top takes about 90 minutes to complete and each climber can get a bottle of water for free at the store, said Song Huizhou, general manager of Shiniuzhai.

Staff members are responsible for carrying supplies to the store every day, he added. An unnamed employee told Beijing Youth Daily that staff carry dozens of bottles of beverages up the hill in their backpack every day, each sold for between 5 to 7 yuan, less than US$1.

Staffers also handed out free mooncakes in tiny red boxes to climbers when the country celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival in September, according to videos circulated on Chinese social media.

Hunan, a landlocked province with 64 million people, is also home to the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, which is famous for its towering, pillar-like karst formations believed to have inspired the otherworldly landscape in Canadian director James Cameron’s 2009 hit “Avatar.”(SD-Agencies)

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【便利店】biànlìdiàn convenience store a shop that sells food, drinks, etc. and is usually open until late

【兴奋】xīngfèn buzz excitement, interest

中国南方某个风光秀美的地区，一个小木屋挂在陡峭的悬崖上，被称为中国“最不便利的便利店”。

湖南省石牛寨风景区里，这家2平方米的小店悬挂在离地面120米的高空，为登山者补充饮料和小食，小店的照片被刊登在国内报纸上。

石牛寨以多山地貌著称，景色壮丽，还有惊险刺激的登山项目。中国第一座玻璃桥也坐落在这里，名为好汉桥， 2015年建成投入使用。

石牛寨的名字源于当地一座形似牛背的山丘。

便利店位于一条 800 米长的飞拉达攀岩道上。飞拉达是意大利语，意为铁扶手横梯攀岩道，指的是建在山体岩壁上，由扶手、脚踏、钢缆等构成的攀登径道，让不具备攀岩能力的人也能攀上陡峭的岩壁。

耗时一年，这家便利店2018年建成开业时引发了热议。最近，中国媒体的报道让它再次成为焦点，吸引了众多社交媒体用户。

这是“最不便利的便利店”，一位拥有超过 88.94 万粉丝的人气博主上周在微博上调侃道。

另一个网友开玩笑说：“对工作人员要求挺高的”。

石牛寨总经理宋会洲说，登顶之旅大约需要90分钟，途中每位攀登者可在店内免费领一瓶水。

他补充说，每天都有工作人员负责向小店补给货品。

一位不愿透露姓名的员工告诉《北京青年报》，员工每天会背几十瓶饮料上山，每瓶售价在5到7元人民币之间，合计不到 1美元。

中国社交媒体上流传的视频显示，9月底中秋节期间，工作人员还向登山者免费发放装在红色小盒子里的月饼。

湖南是个内陆省份，有6400万人口，也是张家界国家森林公园所在地，该公园因高耸入云、宛如石柱的喀斯特地貌而闻名，据说加拿大导演詹姆斯•卡梅隆2009年的大片《阿凡达》中的异世界景观就是受此启发设计的。

(Translated by Debra)