Hong Kong boasts a staggering 2,600-foot-long outdoor escalator system that physically drags tired office workers up and down the ridiculously steep mountainous terrain of the Mid-Levels district.

A closer look

Hong Kong boasts a staggering 2,600-foot-long outdoor escalator system that physically drags tired office workers up and down the ridiculously steep mountainous terrain of the Mid-Levels district. Built in 1993, this sprawling mechanical staircase is completely free to use and functions as a massive, slow-moving conveyor belt for human beings who categorically refuse to walk up a hill. To accommodate the relentless daily grind of corporate capitalism, the system only travels downwards during the morning rush hour to get people into the central business district, and then magically reverses direction at exactly 10:00 AM to carry them all back up to their overpriced apartments later in the day. Commuters are perfectly happy to spend a solid twenty-five minutes standing absolutely motionless on this metal contraption, completely exposed to the humid tropical weather, purely to avoid the unimaginable cardiovascular horror of simply taking a normal set of concrete stairs like their ancestors did!