 Fishermen in the Three Gorges region have this saying: “Don’t get overjoyed for a good catch of fish. No to worry when you catch no fish. You may not catch anything in nine out of ten days, but in one day you may catch all the fish you should have caught in nine days.” Most people in the Three Gorges region make a living by fishing. To make way for the construction of the Three Gorges dam, many of them have to abandon this traditional way of living in favor of a new one.
The 1,500 residents on the island will all be relocated in the new county town of Fengdu. The second phase of the relocation has been completed, and the third phase is under way.
The biggest problem for those who move from Fengwenba Village to the county town is to find a job. Although the local government gives every one 7,000 yuan to move away, it doesn’t provide them with jobs. After the Three Gorges reservoir begins to store water, it will be impossible for them to fish on the Yangtze River.
The former seat of Fengdu County is on the north bank of the Yangtze River. It is one of the six county seats to be submerged in the proposed Three Gorges reservoir. The new seat of Fengdu County is across the Yangtze. Over 17,000 farmers have been relocated and will become urban dwellers.
Fengwenba Village is a rare flat area in the Three Gorges reservoir. It has over 1,400 mu of farmland, over 900 mu of which is vegetable field. So it has been a vegetable and fish production center. The transportation business will have to be closed when the rainy season comes.
The former seat of Fengdu County had a population of over 29,000, and the population of its new town increased drastically to over 50,000. The employment situation is therefore grim there. This famous ghost city is undergoing the most drastic changes that it has ever seen in history.
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