Village on cliff to receive 630 million yuan in tourism investment

Two companies in the southwest Chinese province of Sichuan have announced plans to invest 630 million yuan, or close to 100 million U.S. dollars, to turn a local village on the top of a cliff into a tourist spot, reports the Chengdu Business Daily.

The money will reportedly come from a wealth fund belonging to the Sichuan provincial government and a private tourism company, and will be fully in place by 2022.

The two suggest the money will be used to build a series of facilities including hotels, hot springs and cableways.

Local villagers, who all belong to China's Yi ethnic minority, have long relied on a ladder made of vines to climb down an 800-meter-high cliff when they travel in and out of the village.

The photo shows a steel ladder on the side of a cliff in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The steel ladder has replaced an old one which was made of vines in mid-2017. A village is situated at the top of the cliff. [Photo: VCG]

Local authorities had considered relocating the whole village. However, the relatively fertile land up the cliff forced authorities to drop the idea due to the barren land in nearby regions.

The village gained international attention after a Beijing-based newspaper first reported in 2016 about the challenges faced by local kids in their daily commute to a nearby school.

Visitors have started travelling to the village after local authorities invested 1 million yuan to replace the former vine ladder with a steel one.

"Tourists come almost every day. They hope to climb up the cliff. They want to take a look at our village. Sometimes we'll get 200 tourists a day," said Pachhaug, head of the village.

The photo shows a construction worker carrying steel bars up a ladder under construction at a Yi village in Sichuan. The ladder has replaced an old one made of vines on a cliff in southwest China's Sichuan. A village is situated at the top of the cliff. [Photo: VCG]

Moslalo, a villager who opened up the first restaurant in the village, says he has already received thousands of visitors, including people from Chengdu, Beijing, Shenzhen and Chongqing.

"Lots of tourists choose to stay here for a couple of days after they climb up the cliff," said Moslalo.

Moslabo, a villager known to be the most adept cliff climber in the village, is currently earning 3,000 yuan per month after he was hired by a tourism firm to work as a guide.

Villagers also note they now have access to 4G and WIFI internet services, as well as banking services.