Imam Li, leading his Muslim followers, began regular prayers as usual on Friday, the first Djumah Day (Sabbath) after the Three Gorges Reservoir began to store water on June 1.
It is expected that more than 30 places of worship will be submerged once the world's largest hydropower project is completed.
Jia Zaiyun, official in charge of ethnic and religious affairs in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, said the government had poured tens of millions of yuan, creating a special office to smooth relocation of religious venues in the reservoir area to the highlands.
He said all relocation work was finished before the storing of water and the religious activities of 150,000 followers in the area would be unaffected.
Imam Li said his new mosque was much larger than the original.
He had felt nostalgic and nervous about the unprecedented mosque relocation, but the new and improved premises and better living standard of his followers had allayed his fears.
(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2003)
