Learning advantage

The local school offering classes up to primary level at the foot of Atuleer is also being upgraded, with room and board facilities that can help accommodate 600 people on top of annual subsidies of 4,500 yuan for each student.

Gao Juan worked in retail but decided to teach at the school two years ago to do more for the community. The 30-year-old, who conducts Chinese and math classes, said the positive impact of the poverty alleviation measures on her students has been very heartening.

"Parents themselves also care more about the education of their children. Even in terms of better health and hygiene, the students help influence their family," she said.

Click here to watch the video of "cliff village"

Eleven-year-old student Jiba Zili said she enjoys her classes, which she used to take about three hours to reach from her home at the mountaintop before the metal ladder was built. That climb, reduced by an hour, is also more pleasant now, she said. Jiba said she is looking forward to the new communities in the county seat. "I also want to visit Beijing," she said.

On the slopes en route to Atuleer, Chimu Ashi, 54, sells village specialties to tourists trying out the climb and makes up to 300 yuan a day during peak travel to the increasingly popular scenic spot. Previously, she had to rely solely on farming to survive.

"I've been here since I was 5," she said. "This is a big improvement."