Residents in cliff-top village moving to new urban homes

The new apartments come in models of 50, 75 and 100 square meters, which will be assigned depending on the number of people in the household, said Ahke Jiushe. One person is entitled to 25 sq m, he said.

The cost to own the apartments is 2,500 yuan per person－a family of four would pay 10,000 yuan to own an apartment of 100 square meters. The market price per square meter of housing in the county seat ranges from 3,000 to 6,000 yuan, he added.

The villagers are benefiting from the government's tailored poverty relief policies.

Three years ago, the village caught the attention of President Xi Jinping. In a discussion with National People's Congress deputies from Sichuan in 2017, he said he had been worried when he learned from a television report that the Atuleer villagers were dependent on the rattan structure.

Xi told the deputies the entire process of poverty reduction required tailored relief policies and precision measures, and sometimes patience and accuracy such as "doing embroidery".

After the village became famous, tourists flocked to see the rattan ladders, and some tried to climb them.

After the 84 households move, Atuleer will see new tourism development. A cable car will be installed to transport tourists to the village and nearby canyons will be developed, the county government said.

Some 30 better-off households will remain in the village and work in the tourist industry, running rural inns, showing tourists around and carrying bags to make money, Ahke said.