Seventy-Six Years: A Curve That Rose, Then Collapsed
From scattered work teams in the people’s commune era, to a historic peak of nearly 400 in the year 2000, to a sharp collapse after the cargo cable car began operating — the numbers trace a miniature history of technological replacement.
| Era | Number | Notes |
| 1950—1977 | ~45 (typically 30–60) | Managed collectively under the commune system; mostly farmers working seasonally during the off-season, with no dedicated full-time team |
| 1980s | 300+ | Large-scale construction at the site; 9 professional teams formed at Zhongtianmen; Feng Jicai’s essay The Mountain Porter published |
| 1990s | 80–120 | Major construction slowed; supply limited to daily goods for shops on Tianjie Street |
| 2000 (historic peak) | 300–350 (some records cite up to 400) | Widening of the Nantianmen path and restoration of summit temples drove demand to its historic peak |
| 2003 | ~80 | Taohuayuan cargo cable car began operation; many porters left the trade |
| 2013 | 15–20 | Work limited to fragile goods and short-distance, small-scale deliveries |
| 2019 | 34 registered (fewer than 20 working full-time year-round) | Standardized management introduced by the scenic area authority |
| 2021—2026 | 12–14 full-time (only 5–6 in winter) | Average age over 50; almost no young workers entering the trade |
From nearly 400 at its peak to fewer than 15 today — this wasn’t a gradual shift, but a curve completely rewritten by technology.