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Atulie'er village, also known as the "cliff village," in Zhaojue county, Sichuan Province, was once connected to the outside world only through rattan ladders that spanned an 800-meter near-vertical cliff. In 2016, photos of children climbing the ladders to get home went viral.

President Xi Jinping spoke of his concern while joining a deliberation with lawmakers from Sichuan during the 2017 two sessions. "Seeing it left me with a heavy heart—it was deeply distressing," Xi recalled.

Change followed. By June 2017, steel staircases replaced rattan ladders. By 2020, 84 registered poor households were relocated to new houses in the Zhaojue county seat as part of China's efforts to alleviate poverty.

During a group discussion at the 2022 two sessions, Yeshe Dawa, a national political advisor from Sichuan Province, showed Xi two photos depicting staggering changes in this village. This time, Xi appeared reassured.

Today, the steel staircases have become a tourist attraction. All 282 households—1,219 residents in total—have left the cliffs and moved into resettlement communities where education and job opportunities are provided.

(Produced by Huang Jingjing, Xie Runjia and Di Jingyuan)