Better environment

A total of 168 projects, aimed at helping relocatees settle and prosper, improve the ecological environment, and enhance the safety in reservoir areas in Xingshan county of Yichang, Hubei province, have been approved for construction. Some 160 of those have been completed, using 2.5 billion yuan in funding from the Three Gorges follow-up special subsidy, said Long Jingli, deputy head of Xingshan county.

One of the projects, the highway from Gufu town to Zhaojun town in Xingshan, has become known for being China's "most beautiful highway on the water" as it skims the river bank.

Stretching 20.25 kilometers, the winding highway that traverses the Xiangxi River offers travelers the opportunity to relish mountain vistas and river views akin to a painting. Private vehicles, intercity buses and coach tours ply the road back and forth, with its observation decks and platforms enticing numerous tourists and artists who come from far and wide to sketch the vistas.

It's practical too. When the highway opened to traffic in late 2015, the journey time from Xingshan county to Yichang was reduced to a mere 1.5 hours, greatly facilitating the travel of the people of Xingshan and significantly augmenting the income of resettlers in Shenduhe village, Gufu town, Xingshan county.

Wan Wei, Party secretary of Shenduhe village, said, "40 percent of the population in Shenduhe village are resettlers from the reservoir-affected area."

Before the road was built, the transportation cost was very high. Buyers would have to drive all the way to Shenduhe village to purchase citrus fruits in bulk for just 0.5 yuan per kilogram, which was the main source of income for the villagers, said Wan.

After the completion of the road, the villagers themselves could travel further and sell these fruits for 1.5?2 yuan per kilogram, reclaiming pricing control and tripling their incomes, he added.

Last year, the average annual household income in Shenduhe village reached around 19,000 yuan, and over 85 percent of households owned a car. The village's total revenue exceeded 28 million yuan, a one-third increase from 2015, Wan said.

In other towns of Xingshan county, the Three Gorges follow-up special subsidy has also significantly improved the quality of life of the people relocated.

Chenjiawan village, with more than 300 residents relocated to higher ground, launched the Zhaojun Manor project in March 2015, renovating the facades of 97 buildings, constructing 6,850 square meters of green space, converting 96 latrines into flushing toilets and developing 19.5 km of comprehensive networks for rainwater, sewage and communication, greatly enhancing the village's appearance and living environment.

Li Xiaojiao, deputy secretary of the Chenjiawan village Party committee, said it used to be an unclean and disorderly place. "By leveraging a total investment of 46 million yuan, including the Three Gorges subsidy, the town now has a very tidy and stylish appearance and has become a place popular for cultural tourism, attracting 830,000 tourists since 2015, and achieving a total tourism revenue of approximately 50 million yuan."

In Xingshan county, the Three Gorges reservoir submerged a 9.3-square-kilometer area resulting in the relocation of 34,300 residents.

Qin Shuang contributed to this story.

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