'Cliff village’ in Liangshan

Wawu Village is one of 19 "cliff villages" in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province. The village is home to over 700 residents. There are only two steep roads leading from the village to the outside; some sections are built on vertical cliffs. When climbing the ladder, residents must rely on vines or steel ropes to secure their grip. Some villagers have even fallen off the cliff.

A man clears sands from the road for students before they climb the ladder.

Children climb the ladder on Nov. 19, 2016. Their journey home takes more than two hours.

A villager descends down the ladder on Nov. 15.

A child climbs the ladder under her mother's watchful eye on Nov. 19.

Chen Long and 13 children take a photo in front of a classroom on Nov. 14. Chen works in a kindergarten in the village, though he lives in another village. It takes him over four hours to get to work from his home.

Fangfang chats with friends on her mobile phone. She works outside the village, and only came back for the Yi New Year. This is the only place in the village with mobile phone reception.

Two children on their way to school on Nov. 14.

Villagers eat lunch on Nov. 14.

A bird’s eye view of Wawu Village. Some villagers have moved away. According to the remaining residents, the government has considered relocating the villagers, but the plan was suspended because of scarce land resource in other regions.