Exploring Sichuan’s Poorest Region and the Cliff Village of

In the mountains of southern Sichuan province lies a region that Sabbatical had long wanted to visit. The people there have the reputation of living in the poorest area of China. The area has been tied to drug trafficking and heroin addiction, contributing to high HIV rates. Yet this is also the ancestral home of the Yi people, a minority with a long history of resistance. The most extreme example is the Cliff Village, an entire village on top of a mountain. Villagers would have to climb for hours each day to reach school or the store. Rumors spoke of relocations, and the traveler seeks to see the truth for themselves. Join this journey to what is described as the West Virginia of China, a place that challenges simple labels and reveals a different side of rural China.