Relocated communities make most of Three Gorges' funding

Prosperous move

The No 38 Farm Stay in Wutu village of Dazhou town, Chongqing, enjoys sweeping views of the Yangtze River. Each year, some 6,000 guests visit to enjoy the natural scenery and get a taste of country life.

Zhang Shifang, the proprietor of the farm stay is one of the locals that were relocated 15 years ago. "My former house and land were submerged just 100 meters from the farm stay here," she said.

Among the various resettlement alternatives provided by the government, she opted to receive a resettlement subsidy, and then decided to work in a big city to earn a higher salary.

In 2019, on a return trip home to visit her mother, Zhang noticed something odd. Wutu was bustling with tourists, and new roads and infrastructure had been built all around the village.

It turned out the projects stemmed from the post-relocation support funds allocated for the Three Gorges Dam resettlement, and the resulting facilities had enabled a flourishing tourism industry to spring up.

Noticing an opportunity, Zhang decided to return to the village permanently and establish the No 38 Farm Stay.

"We not only provide dining here, but also offer karaoke, tug-of-war, badminton, chess, checkers, mahjong — which is very popular in Sichuan and Chongqing — and there's a square nearby where visitors can play ball games," she said.

In the years since its opening, Zhang said the farm stay has enabled her to earn as much as 300,000 yuan ($41,790) every year, more than what she would be able to earn elsewhere.

Farm stays have become a popular business in the area, and 45 farm stays now employ 200 local people.

"In Dazhou town, the Three Gorges Project affected 4,857 individuals, and many of them lost their land due to the rising water. To enhance income and prosperity for the relocatees, the town has tried hard to support them starting up farm stay businesses, with the aim of establishing a demonstration town for rural tourism," said Zhou Jianhong, Party secretary of Dazhou town.

With the Three Gorges post-relocation support funds and follow-up project funds, the town has curated a collection of unique attractions such as the winding 10-kilometer riverside promenade and the sun-moon square in Wutu village. These attractions have garnered widespread recognition in Chongqing, attracting approximately 200,000 tourists to visit Wutu village each year, according to Zhou.

Last year, Dazhou town's cultural tourism increased by 10 million yuan year-on-year for farmers, and by 3 million yuan for poverty-alleviated households, Zhou said.