Iron Ladders Are the Only Way to School for ‘Cliff Village’ Students

2016/11/23

Han Jing

For students at a small village in the Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Liangshan in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, going to school is like fighting death every day. They have to climb up and down iron ladders on the cliffs as the school lies at the foot of the mountain.

The village, known as the Cliff Village, is located halfway up the mountain with an altitude of over 1,400 meters. It is home to 72 households. Its vertical distance from the ground stands at about 800 meters.

Three years ago, schoolchildren had to climb 17 ladders made up of rattan and then hike another section of cliff path without any handrails. Although it was extremely dangerous, the vulnerable ladders were the most convenient way to school.

The rattan ladders, almost vertical on the cliff, have currently been replaced by iron ones with a tilt angle of 60 degrees. Now students can save half an hour commuting between home and school. Plus, the service life of the iron ladders extends 10 to 20 years.

Schoolchildren in the village have all been enrolled to the mountain foot school. There are 19 such “cliff villages” in the prefecture, involving 1,292 students. According to the local education bureau, all these 1,200-plus students will be guaranteed with a safe way to school by the coming spring semester.

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Iron Ladders Are the Only Way to School for ‘Cliff Village’ Students

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