In the remote northwestern Chinese village of Pili, children are scooped up at the beginning of each school term to begin the long, arduous and very difficult journey to their classroom. Approximately 80 kids are taken along a 125-mile route through the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. They face almost sheer rock faces, freezing roiling river waters, narrow pathways and single wood plank “bridges.” The treacherous passage takes an entire two days, during which they have little water to drink despite having the surging river next to them.
