Nestled deep in the Himalayan foothills of southwest China's Yunnan Province lays the ancient village of Shaxi. Shaxi (pronounced 'Shah Shee'), is a culturally diverse town and home to the Bai and Yi ethnic minority peoples who have resided in the region for more than 1,500 years.
At the local primary school, few students graduate and even fewer go on to study at a university. Most stay to work in the fields or travel to the big cities, where they end up working as unskilled labor.