For decades, people in China's mountainous Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces had a unique way to travel across valleys - through a precarious ropeway hanging midair. But soon that'll be history. Our reporter Tao Yuan visited one of the last ropeways in the region.  

The fear of heights doesn't exist here. For 20 years, this is how villagers on either side of the valley crossed the river. 72-year-old Jiang Shixue has been the sole operator of the ropeway. A phone call from the other side, and Jiang rushes to start the engine. The cage zips into the valley, the Jinsha River flowing 300 meters underneath. The 500-meter trip takes about six minutes. It's less than one dollar for each passenger.

JIANG SHIXUE ROPEWAY OPERATOR "Everything goes through this ropeway - cattle and sheep, concrete and steel to build houses with - everything. I make sure it's all safe. No one has hurt so much as a toenail."

Ropeways like this dotted this region in southwest China, an area known for its harsh geography. Mountain roads can be brutally treacherous. The cliff villages are left isolated, left behind by China's growth.

JIANG SHIXUE ROPEWAY OPERATOR "Before the ropeway, there was no way out. We were confined to our villages like livestock to their pens."

TAO YUAN BUTUO COUNTY, SICHUAN PROVINCE "It's actually quite terrifying standing up here in this cage looking down at all 300 meters of empty space underneath us. But for the locals, this ropeway is how couples dated, friends and relatives visited one another, and how these people transported goods across the river to do business. In short, this ropeway connects villages on either side to the outside world."

A vital lifeline. But soon, it'll be part of history. A new bridge is under construction just a few hundred meters downstream, due for completion this May. A massive undertaking, with the potential to drive economic growth. Local engineer DuanYuping never thought it could actually take shape.

DUAN YUPING BUTUO COUNTY ENGINEER "Because of the valley wind and the harsh mountain terrain, the construction of this bridge was extremely difficult. I used to think the idea of building this bridge was a fairytale. But looking at it now, I feel it's an impossible dream coming true."

For Jiang Shixue, his two decades of closing this gap is coming to an end.

JIANG SHIXUE ROPEWAY OPERATOR "Of course,e I'm emotionally attached to this ropeway. But at times, I also feel I'm glued to this little room. I'm looking forward to retirement. I want to travel, first to my children's homes in the cities. Then elsewhere, to make up for lost time."

But before that, another family reunion at the ropeway's end. Young people working elsewhere are home to visit their elderly relatives.

JIANG SHIXUE ROPEWAY OPERATOR "How can I not feel proud? When my own children and grandchildren visit me, I pull them through on this very ropeway. This is the most important thing here. And I am in charge of people's safety. What I do is huge!"

A tinge of nostalgia. But Jiang says he has no regrets, knowing the people he's helped are now in better hands. TY, CGTN, on the Sichuan-Yunnan border.