Plank roads are made about 5 feet wide, along steep cliffs which normally people cannot approach easily.
Near the end of the 90s in China, it started being made for tourism reasons, focusing on the nice scenery in the rough mountainous regions.
The workers are in charge of making these roads.
The east part of Chongqing, China, is a mountainous area.
In this region that has many rocky mountains, the plank roads started being made in March of 2016.
The work takes place in the steep cliffs 1,640 feet above the ground.
The workers have to carry steel rods, cement, and all the heavy materials.
All they have for support are narrow wooden planks that are 7.8 inches wide. The view seen in between them is horrifying.
All they have for safety gear at the site are ropes and plastic safety helmets.
Sometimes, they drill holes with a single rope supporting their bodies.
Shadou Chen(54) stands on the dangerous planks yet again today
as he assists the task leader do the foundation work.
Here, about 15 workers are separated from their families who live over 600 miles away in Jiangxi, east of China.
They sleep and eat at a temporary dorm located half a mile away from the work site.
To visit their home, they would have to take a 10-hour train ride and spend a week's worth of earnings for transportation fees.
Normally, they visit home during big holidays like the Chinese New Year.
The longest time they spend with their family is around 2 months at max per year.
Shadou Chen(54) is on the lucky side.
That's because his wife is with him at the site, working as a chef to make food for the workers.
Even if she's busy with kitchen work, she washes her husband's work clothes.
Shadou Chen(54) also helps her out in the kitchen for every meal.
However, his wife needs to return home soon. It's to take care of their eldest daughter who just gave birth.
Shadou Chen(54) wants to go home with his wife very badly, but he cannot skip out on work.
It's hard paying their daughter's college tuition fees, and there's still debt left to pay.
Once his wife leaves, he needs to endure living by himself.
This year especially has a lot of rainfall.
If the ground is not dry and the wooden planks along the cliffs aren't dry,
they cannot work even if it doesn't rain.
At those times, the workers are more worried and longing for their families back home.
Making the plank road is dangerous and tiring, but it's certainly better than doing nothing.
The road needs to be complete for them to spend at least a bit of time with their families.
Hoping that the day will come quickly, the workers climb up the cliff yet again today.
✔ Program Name : Documentary Film, Life on the Road - Walking Along the Cliff, Plank Road Workers in China
✔ Air Date : 2016.08.09
#DocumentaryFilm_Life_on_the_Road #Plank_Road_Workers_in_China #The_Most_Dangerous_Job_in_the_World