Children in China trekked 3 hours up and down an 800m cliff to school; two elevators and a cable car cut it to 30 minutes

For years, going to school was a daily test of endurance for children living in Nizhuhe village in southwest China. Their route to the classroom involved steep mountain paths, narrow trails and an exhausting climb along the side of an 800-metre cliff. The journey could take nearly three hours, with children leaving home before sunrise and returning tired after a full day at school.Today, the same journey takes about 30 minutes, thanks to a combination of a shuttle bus, two cliffside elevators and a cable car system. The unusual transport network has turned what was once described as the most dangerous school commute into a safer and more predictable trip for students living in the remote mountain village.Nizhuhe village is located in Puli township in Xuanwei city, Yunnan province, near the border with Guizhou province. The village lies at the bottom of the Nizhu River Grand Canyon, while Guanzhai Village Primary School is located more than 500 metres above it. The school serves children from several nearby mountain communities, including Nizhuhe.Before the new transport facilities were introduced, children had to follow a rough trail carved into the rocky slopes. Some sections were...