Poverty alleviation transforms Sichuan's cliff village

Residents of Xuanya village, or "cliff village", in Zhaojue county of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, have seen a notable increase in their incomes after moving to new apartments in the county seat, local officials said on Monday.

The Yi ethnic village, formerly named Atulie'er, was connected to the outside world only through vine ladders that spanned an 800-meter cliff. It gained wide attention after photos of children climbing the ladders to get home went viral in 2016.

Pacha Youge, Party secretary of Guli township in Zhaojue, said at a news conference that the per capita annual income of former residents in Xuanya village reached 19,600 yuan ($2,736) last year, up from less than 5,000 yuan in 2017.

All of the village's 84 poor households moved into brand-new apartments in May 2020 as part of China's efforts to alleviate poverty, he said.

Thanks to government subsidies, each villager paid only 3,000 yuan per 25 square meters, with the payment capped at 10,000 yuan for the largest 100 sq m unit housing a family of four or more.

To boost the former villagers' incomes, Pacha said the local government brought in agricultural experts to help grow olive trees and navel oranges on the village's land.