China’s Cliff Top Village Has Brighter Future after Installing Steel Stairs

The future of a village atop a cliff is looking brighter for its residents after local authorities installed steel ladders last year for a safer climb. In a remote part of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the village of Atuleer in Zhaojue County garnered fame after pictures surfaced showing the 800-meter ascent schoolchildren and the other villagers had to make to reach it. They had to risk their lives every day as they made the trek without any safety support. However, their lives changed last August, when the local government raised one million yuan to build a set of steel stairs into the face of the cliff, replacing the bamboo ladder. The stairs are wide enough for two people to pass at the same time.