STARTING FROM ZERO

For many villagers, their new homes were less developed than the old.

"We have good land and a good environment here. We can grow oranges and vegetables, which can bring in more than 20,000 yuan a year," says Guo Qinghong, deputy head of Suijiangwan Village. "But everything has to start from zero once we move to a new place."

The villagers have a deep emotional attachment to their homes. When the Danjiangkou dam was built five decades ago, tens of thousands of villagers had to move, often in forced and hurried evacuations for little compensation, says Liu Jiashun, head of Danjiangkou resettlement bureau.

"Now they must prepare to shift again, and they fear more suffering."

Danjiangkou City has almost 100,000 people to be moved by 2014. The first group was relocated on Aug. 20 this year. Many farmers wept on the way to the new location.

"Villagers have accepted sacrifices for the need of the country," Liu says. "Now the resettlement work puts people first and we've made specific plans to meet farmers' needs during their relocation."

The government promised to build 24 square meters of housing for each migrant, including infants, and to compensate for nearly everything from trees and vegetables to land and tombs of their ancestors.

More than 1,000 city officials were sent doorknocking to explain the policies, check properties for compensation and solicit demands and complaints, Liu says.

Some officials lived with villagers for months and helped them do the farm work. Some farmers were moved and some decided to leave.

Yuan Laihua, head of Niuhe Township, cannot remember how many times he took farmers to view new locations in Shayang County hundreds of kilometers away.

"Farmers can decide their new house plans. If they are dissatisfied with the site of their new homes, we try to look for better places," Yuan says. "Everything we do is to make sure villagers could have stable and prosperous lives."