Students in NW China walk on single-plank bridge to go to school

A single-plank bridge made of bamboo has paved the best way to school for 67 students in Chenggu County, northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, local media Huashang reported on Jan. 10.

Nansha River is what the students, ranging from 3 to 12, must cross on their way to school, which is located on the opposite side. A bigger bridge 3 kilometers upstream also leads to school, but the students have to make a 6-kilometer detour to reach it.

According to local residents, it only takes 15 minutes for the students to get to school via the bamboo bridge, while it takes up to an hour on the other path. As a result, no one chooses to detour.

Wang Tianfu, the grandfather of a student, told Huashang that the single-plank bridge was built by local villagers after raising 4,500 RMB ($695). It is 115 meters in length and half a meter in width. The bridge is always shaky since it is made of bamboo.

A villager surnamed Huang said that the bridge is usually built before the beginning of each semester and removed in April every year out of consideration of possible floods.

Wang introduced that the “tradition” has been kept for over 50 years. At first, the bridge was made of stones, but it became too hard to maintain, because most of the students’ parents are working outside of the village, leaving only the seniors to care for the children.