Photographer's work a life-changer for 'cliff village'

Last year, a little-known "cliff village" in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture of Southwest China's Sichuan province grabbed national attention. People were shocked by photos of children climbing a rattan ladder on an 800-meter cliff to reach their school.

After the village hit the headlines, the rattan ladder was replaced by a steel one with handrails on November that cost one million yuan ($148,000). The person who made it happen is Chen Jie, a photographer of Being News.

On June 16, Chen came back to interview the villagers. It was his sixth trip to the village and 16th time climbing the ladder.

The school is located at the foot of the mountain, and the kids go home twice a month.

Although climbing the ladder is still an arduous task, the trip is much safer.

Thanks to the newly-installed ladder, it's also easier to bring in business. In April, the village had its first grocery store, and all goods are sent to the cliff through manual labor.

Chen conducts a live interview with a villager on the steel ladder. These days, the job of a photographer goes way beyond taking pictures. Chen also uses drones and other equipment so he could publish his report on all media platforms.

As a veteran photo journalist, Chen has documented numerous stories with his camera for 17 years. The cliff village has been his toughest assignment so far.

▲ Chen takes photos of children at their school.