A father protects his son as they climb the steel ladder to the cliff village in Sichuan province, Nov 19, 2016. [Photo/IC]

Children living in a mountaintop village in Southwest China who were using rickety rattan ladders to climb the 800-meter cliff to reach home now have a much safer way: a steel ladder.

According to Beijing News, the new ladder connecting Atuleer with the rest of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture was completed early in November. Around 20 children who attend the boarding school at the foot of the mountain are now able to go home more safely to celebrate the Yi lunar new year.

The steel ladder, complete with handrails, was built at a cost of 1 million yuan ($148,000), with the prefecture government and Zhaojue county equally sharing the cost.

Apart from making the trip safer, the new ladder has also reduced the journey time by an hour.

But due to safety concerns, the children can go home only during the summer and winter vacations as well as Yi lunar new year, according to the school rules.