In 1854, at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York, American Elisha Graves Otis publicly demonstrated his safety elevator.
In 1900, the Otis Elevator Company, through its agent Tullock & Co., secured its first elevator contract in China-to supply two elevators to Shanghai. In 1907, Otis installed two elevators at the Huizhong Hotel (now the South Building of the Peace Hotel) in Shanghai; these two elevators are considered the earliest elevators used in my country. In 1908, the Astor House Hotel on Huangpu Road in Shanghai installed three elevators. In 1910, the Shanghai Club Building installed a triangular wooden elevator manufactured by Siemens of Germany. In 1915, the Beijing Hotel, located at the south entrance of Wangfujing in Beijing, installed three Otis AC single-speed elevators.
In the winter of 1951, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed installing a domestically manufactured elevator in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. After more than four months of research and development, the first elevator designed and manufactured by Chinese engineers was born. This was a passenger elevator modeled after the Otis elevator, with a load capacity of 1000 kg, a speed of 0.70 m/s, AC single-speed, and manual control.
Technological development trends include ultra-high-speed elevators, linear drive technology, the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud technology, and green elevators. Ultra-high-speed elevators are increasingly appearing in people's lives due to global urbanization and the growing number of skyscrapers. Linear motors directly drive the car, eliminating the need for steel cables. The application of IoT and cloud technology allows manufacturers' technicians to monitor the elevator's operating status in real time, issue warnings for abnormal conditions, and remotely diagnose elevator malfunctions. Green elevators are developing towards energy conservation, environmental protection, and long service life.
