6-Year-Old Climbs Treacherous Cliff to School

In Sichuan province of China stands a mountain-side village called the Atule’er Village. Very few people know its name. Atule'er Village boasts an altitude of 4,600 feet. The village dates back some 200 years and is home to 72 families, most of whom make a living by growing chillies.

To go to Atule’er Village, you need to climb 17 rickety ladders, some being as tall as 350 feet, and claw your way over bare rocks on a vertical cliff for an hour and a half. In fact, this is exactly how the children in Atule’er Village go to school at the foot of the mountain.

Every single trip to school, the children have to risk their lives on a death-defying 2624 feet descent as they scale down the treacherous cliff that takes roughly 90 minutes to complete. The youngest climber is a 6 year old boy named Chen Muhei who studies in the preschool.

The villagers are worried about the safety of their children. As a matter of fact, a villager fell over the cliff just two years ago. Thankfully, the Chinese government acted swiftly by building steel ladders to replace the old ones now.