Picturesque Canyon Makes Difficult Climb For School Children

2016/05/25

Zhang Qianran

One could hardly imagine that life in a picturesque destination for tourists can be so difficult.

A set of pictures of children scaling a cliff recently caught public attention.

They are actually on their way to school in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the southwest of Sichuan Province.

The village where they live, located in the middle of a grand canyon, is at an altitude of 1400 meters.

The only connectivity between the village and the outside world is a ladder made of rattan.

Seven people have been killed when using the ladder, a villager said.

But for the 15 children of 70 families living in the village, the only school accessible is the one located at the foot of the mountain.

Every two weeks, these children come back home by climbing the same dangerous ladder, secured by a single rope. The journey takes at least 2 hours.

The history of the village goes back to 200 years ago. In the isolation of this village, life arguably remained safe and sound.

Over the time, however, the pros have turned into cons. The ladder which symbolized the relative peace in the village, has become a symbol of poverty and isolation as many who lived here left.

Now poverty reigns the families here.

Underdeveloped transportation blocks trade, and pepper and walnut are the only source of income.

Villager Chen Jiji needs to raise his five children. However, concerned about their safety, he can’t afford to go to the developed area for a better earning.

According to a village official, there used to be a cableway but the villagers discarded it due to its high cost.

As for the connectivity, neither a reinforced-steel-ladder nor highway seems in the pipeline.

To build a highway would cost 60 million yuan. The residents cannot afford this sum and the government sees tourism as a panacea.

Nevertheless, people continue to live in poverty.

So why not move out of the village? The reason is the fertile land that the leftover residents here are unwilling to leave uncultivated.

But when will the children have a safer way to and fro from school? For now at least, it remains unknown.

Most Read

Picturesque Canyon Makes Difficult Climb For School Children

Email this to your friend