Elderly man in China built a lift to get home, but had to tear it down after video went viral

An elderly man in north-east China who needed a lift to get to his apartment on the fifth 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 his age was catching up with him. But five years later, the authorities also caught up with him.

The lift system did not comply with China’s Special Equipment Safety Law, which covers machinery such as lifts, passenger ropeways and large carnival rides.

His suspended lift, which resembles 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 are 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 it was inconvenient for old people to walk up and down the stairs, and that spurred him to build the lift 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 that of the residents in the area.

Naysayers on Chinese social media Weibo felt 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.”