The Mountain Ladder in Sichuan

Stuart Wiggins of The China Traveller, who has been living and working in China since 2007, chose to visit the mountaintop village of Atulie’er in Sichuan’s Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

Visiting appears to be a simpler task than it is. To reach there, residents of the community must climb an exceptionally steep steel ladder 2,556 steps (800 meters) up the mountain.

Wiggins attempted to climb the same ladder but struggled to even reach the halfway mark. It was far more difficult to descend.

Wiggins also mentions that many of the inhabitants have now been moved to the Nanping Community at the mountain’s base.