Tourists hiking along the Great Wall of China can now have their meals delivered by drone, thanks to a new service from Chinese food delivery giant Meituan. Announced last week, this drone delivery service will bring food, drinks, and even medical supplies to visitors at a remote part of the ancient wall near Beijing.
This is the first time drones are being used for deliveries in Beijing, adding to the rapid growth of drone services across China. China is the world’s largest maker and exporter of consumer drones, and the technology has already brought convenience to both urban and remote rural areas.
The new drone route runs from a hotel rooftop to a watchtower on a lesser-known part of the Great Wall near Badaling, a popular section of the wall. This area of the wall, which has been left in a ruined state, can get very hot in summer and has no shops or other facilities, making it difficult for visitors to access food and supplies.
Yan Yan, a public affairs director at Meituan, explained that the drones can make a journey in five minutes that would normally take 50 minutes on foot. This allows for quick delivery of food, cold drinks, and emergency items to visitors in need.
The drones, which can fly in moderate wind and rain, are capable of carrying up to 2.3 kilograms (about 5 pounds) per trip. The delivery fee is just 4 yuan (about 56 cents), the same as regular Meituan deliveries. The service operates between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., after which the drones switch to carrying trash to recycling stations.
However, the drones still require human assistance. After an order is placed, a Meituan worker collects the items from a nearby store and takes them to the hotel rooftop. There, the items are weighed and packaged before being attached to a drone. The drone flies to the watchtower on autopilot, where another worker is waiting to hand the delivery to the customer.
Drone delivery services have been expanding rapidly in China. Back in 2016, e-commerce giant JD.com started using drones for deliveries in rural areas, reducing delivery times from four hours by car on mountain roads to just under 20 minutes.
Since then, drones have been increasingly used in cities for quick deliveries. Meituan launched its first drone delivery in Shenzhen in 2021 and now operates over 30 routes in various cities, including Shanghai, handling more than 300,000 orders.
To navigate crowded city areas, the drones follow pre-set routes from launch sites, typically rooftops, to drop-off points. Instead of delivering directly to windows, drones leave packages at kiosks near buildings for customers to pick up. Meituan has also set up drone delivery kiosks in public parks in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
This growth in drone delivery services is part of a larger government push to develop a “low-altitude economy,” which involves various businesses using both manned and unmanned aerial vehicles below 1,000 meters (3,281 feet). This “low-altitude economy” was recognized as a new area for economic growth by the Chinese government in March.
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