Learning advantage

The local school at the foot of Atuleer, which offers classes up to primary level, 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 used to work in retail but decided to teach at the school two years ago to do more for the community. The 30-year-old, who teaches Chinese and math, said the positive impact of the poverty alleviation measures on her students has been very heartening.

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

Eleven-year-old student Jiba Zili said she enjoys her classes, which used to take about three hours to reach from her home on the mountaintop before the metal ladder was built. That climb, reduced by an hour, is also more pleasant now, she said.

Zili 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. She makes up to 300 yuan a day during peak travel to the increasingly popular scenic spot, but before, she had to rely solely on farming to survive.

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