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Three Gorges Migrants Pass 1st Night with Mixed Feelings in New Home
Pan Jialong, one of the 639 former Three Gorges villagers resettled on Shanghai's Chongming Island, held a family meeting in his new home on Thursday, the first day they arrived at the new place.
Pan used to support his family through a river transport business, but the 25-year-old man was confident that he could soon find a new way to make his fortune where he lives now.
He said he is experienced in making stainless steel kitchenware, so it will be easy for him to find a new job. "I also want my wife to learn how to use a computer or to drive," he said. "Things are certain to get better when we have certain skills."
The only family member absent from the meeting was Pan's sleeping son who turned one-month old on Friday. A grand party was held for the occasion, according to Chinese custom, participated by his new neighbors and village head.
The other members of Pan's family in Chongming are his mother, wife, sister, grandfather in law and father in law.
The night of August 17 aroused mixed feelings among these former Three Gorges residents whose homes are going to be submerged once the gigantic dam project is completed in 2009.
They were happy to find their new homes on Chongming Island, a suburban island in northern Shanghai, a beautiful place to live, but they were sad as well, when they thought about their relatives and dear old houses in Yunyang County, Chongqing Municipality, on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
Yu Xuelan, 36, cried. The woman was really happy that she received the big new house and fertile fields but became tearful because she missed her parents, now 2,000 kilometers away.
"I want to visit my parents next Spring Festival (the Chinese Lunar New Year)," she said, but wondered if she could manage to get enough money, 1,000 yuan (US$120.5) At least, to cover the traveling expenses.
Xu Jibo was the busiest among the relocated villagers since he was the first to apply for moving to Shanghai. He was invited to speak on behalf of the migrants at a welcoming ceremony held by the county government of Chongming.
Then he was besieged by curious reporters who followed him all day until late in the evening. Liao Qinglan, his wife, managed to clean up the house alone trying to keep things in order.
But Xu was thinking about something else. He decided to buy a telephone and a TV set at request of his two daughters.
"I've got many relatives and they are wondering about how we would live in the new place," he said. "With the phone, I can tell my relatives and friends that we are satisfied."
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