A 9-year-old boy named Jijuejizhu carried his one-year-old brother in a basket down a steep and rugged mountain road in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Sichuan province on Feb. 2.
The boys were heading to their grandfather’s new home while their new home is being built. The temperature dropped to minus 11 degrees Celsius due to heavy snow. Behind the two brothers, their mother carried a heavy basket full of things.
They walked for 50 minutes in heavy snow before getting to the nearest bus station. Their village is 2,800 meters above sea level and 80 kilometers from downtown.
Most of their fellow villagers have been relocated to a new village near downtown. The houses were built by the local government in the national poverty alleviation campaign.
The family emerged from poverty in 2014. They have received a 30,000 yuan relocation allowance to build their house with Yi features. The 9-year-old boy has been arranged to study at a primary school in their new village.
The boys' home is in Dabu village (above). Below is their grandfather's village.
The boys get on a bus heading to their grandfather's home.
The boy plays with his younger brother aboard the bus.
The boy shares his toys with other children in his grandfather's new home.