It’s the capital’s first drone service, adding to a fast-growing drone delivery business across China, which is the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of civilian consumer drones. The industry has brought convenience to people living in both cities and hard-to-reach rural areas.
The Great Wall drone route extends from a nearby hotel rooftop to a watchtower on the southern extension of Badaling, the most popular section of the massive fortifications snaking across northern China.
Opened last year, the extension, which has preserved the ruined state of the ramparts on the wall, typically experiences sweltering summer temperatures and has no commercial facilities.
That’s where drones can help, according to Yan Yan, public affairs director of Meituan’s drone business.
“Through drones, we can make trips that take 50 minutes on foot in five minutes and deliver heat relief items and emergency supplies to visitors,” she told state broadcaster CCTV.
The drones can fly in moderate wind and rain and carry up to 2.3 kilograms (about 5 pounds) per trip, according to Meituan.
The drone delivery fee is just 4 yuan (56 cents), the same as regular Meituan deliveries, state-run Beijing Youth Daily reported. The service will take orders from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., after which the drones will be tasked with carrying trash to recycling stations, the report said.
But the drones still need human help.
Once an order is received, a Meituan worker will pick it up from a nearby store and bring it to the hotel rooftop, where it will be weighed and packaged. An operator then attaches the package to the drone, which will fly on autopilot to the watchtower, where another worker waits to receive it.
