Atule'er, a 200-year-old village in Sichuan province, made headlines around the world when photographs emerged in 2016 of schoolchildren descending the cliff on unsteady rattan ladders -- or "sky ladders," as locals called them. ... This week, however, 84 households of Atule'er left the ladders behind for good, resettling in apartment blocks closer to the town center of Zhaojue county, 75 kilometers (46 miles) away, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported. Their new apartments range from 25 square meters (269 square feet) to 100 square meters (1,076 square feet), and have modern kitchens, toilets, running water, electricity and gas, according to state broadcaster CGTN1

  • 1. Before the coronavirus hit, the Chinese government had pledged to lift all of its 1.4 billion people out of poverty by 2020. The relocated Atule'er's villagers were technically already out of poverty, with an average per capita income of 6,000 yuan ($845) last year -- above China's official 2019 poverty line of 3,747 yuan ($527). But the drive is also aimed at improving the living conditions of rural people with low incomes.