17 vine ladders far from home
Jun 1, 2016 11:54:53 GMT
diane9247, frankmcvey (Angel), and 2 more like this
Post by syzygy on Jun 1, 2016 11:54:53 GMT
Atulie'ercun or Atule'er is known as "cliff village" because its vertical distance to the ground is 800 meters. The routes leading to the outside world are 17 vine ladders.
For more than a dozen children in this small, remote village in southwest China, the mountainous route home from school is long — and extremely steep.
Every two weeks, when the students, ages 6 to 15, return from boarding school, they climb a chain of 17 bamboo ladders,
secured to a sheer cliff face and leading some 2,625 feet (800 meters) up, according to reports.
[Photo/VCG]
Locals say the ladders — which lead through treacherous terrain in the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province — have been there nearly as long as the village.
The oral history of Atuler village said the ancestors picked this isolated and dangerous location to avoid wars and bandits.
For more than a dozen children in this small, remote village in southwest China, the mountainous route home from school is long — and extremely steep.
Every two weeks, when the students, ages 6 to 15, return from boarding school, they climb a chain of 17 bamboo ladders,
secured to a sheer cliff face and leading some 2,625 feet (800 meters) up, according to reports.
[Photo/VCG]
Locals say the ladders — which lead through treacherous terrain in the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province — have been there nearly as long as the village.
The oral history of Atuler village said the ancestors picked this isolated and dangerous location to avoid wars and bandits.
more photos on source pages:
(short video also available)
ChinaDaily
The Washington Post
The Guardian
Brrr... journey to school would be less dangerous even with parachutes...
17 vine ladders far from home.kmz (1.42 KB)
For the past 20 years, American kids are barely allowed to walk down the street without an adult. So, this story of courage and dedication to education is very moving to me.