Two villages that took form along the Poyang Lake in east China's Jiangxi Province after the 1998 floods have become tourist attractions and the center of the country's call for ecological migration.

In order to improve the natural environment, China is promoting the resettlement of persons in ecologically difficult environments and the rebuilding of some of these areas.

The first 500 visitors to the villages of Huangpojing and Nan'anxincun came shortly after local government promoted them as the "Huangpo-Nan'an Ecological Tourism Zone" just in time for the week-long National Day holidays.

The villages were established to house victims of the 1998 floods.

A visitor from Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province said, "I never imagined resettlement could have brought people such a comfortable life."

In 1998, consecutive rainfall raised the water of the Poyang Lake above the alert level and caused a direct threat to the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, a major trunk line from the north to the south.

To save the railway, floodwater was diverted and local farmers were evacuated to other safe areas where Huangpojing Village later took shape.

"Before 1998, my family of six huddled in three dilapidated log cabins," said Wei Qinwei, a Huangpojing villager. "Whenever it rained, our hearts trembled with fear."

As the floods came repeatedly, Wei and his family could only earn a meager income of several thousand yuan a year from their paddies.

After the 1998 floods, some 5,266 rural households with a total population of 24,000 moved to the new village and benefited from the preferential policies granted by local governments for their sacrifice.

Standing in front of his new house, Wei can't help but express his pleasure.

"Under the guidance of rural technicians, we plant cash crops like the water chestnut and lotus roots in flood seasons and then plant paddies when the water subsides."

"Along with fruit plantation and aquatic breeding, my family can now earn 20,000 yuan (about US$2,410) a year," he said.

According to Liang Jiayou, head of the village's Party branch, the per capital annual income in Huangpojing has increased from 800 yuan (about US$96.4) in 1998 to 1,600 yuan (about US$193) in 2001.

"With the constant improvement in our living conditions and annual income, we become more self-confident and more willing to communicate with others. I believe our lives will continue to change for the better," Liang said.

To deal with possible floods around Poyang Lake, the Chinese government has started up a massive project to make sure the lake's size return to its 1954 level.

In 1950s, Chinese government encouraged people to reclaim flooded or marshy lands along the Poyang Lake which not only narrowed the lake's size but also seized the normal waterway, making surrounding areas increasingly vulnerable to floods.

Since 1998, a land area of 1,200 square kilometers formerly reclaimed from the lake for farming, has been returned, bringing the lake's total area to 5,100 square kilometers.

And the stored water has accordingly swelled from the 29.8 billion cubic meters to the present 35.9 billion cubic meters.

Meanwhile, some 5.252 billion yuan (about US$633 million) has been spent by governments at various levels for the resettlement of 910,000 people, which involves the building of new towns, the expansion of old towns and the construction of residential houses.

A civilian official from Jiangxi Province said the resettlement has produced dramatic changes in the comprehensive layout of towns, the construction of infrastructure and the improvement of living conditions.

As typical examples for the successful ecological resettlement, the two villages lately received a reward from the United Nations for excellency in bettering people's living environment.

Many visitors to the two new villages said they felt again the strength of unity that has been proven by people fighting against the 1998 floods and the harmony between man and nature.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2002)