PRC News Focus on news on, about, and from the Chinese mainland by a guy living there Note: Due to time constraints this web site is shutting down. The good news, however, is that I'll continue writing about the subjects covered here for Brainysmurf
I have suggested that all guest posters write for Living in China . Thanks. November 01, 2003 Three Gorges update (via Peking Duck and Living in China Two completely different accounts available of the progress Three Gorges is making at this point. Although there is no particular even that happened recently to garner attention, but China bloggers have uncovered some good links to articles. For the "things are going better than expected angle," we have Janathan Watts of the Guardian But has it really been the environmental, human and economic disaster so many people predicted? A trip along the Yangtze, following the recent completion of the second and most ambitious stage of the dam, showed the immense cost that has been paid, but it suggested that, in these early stages at least, the people and the land are adapting better than many had predicted. Who quotes an ex-farmer now boatman: With the compensation money he [Huang, a resident living on the river created by the Three Gorges] received for relocating, he and his family bought the dilapidated 15-metre skiff they use for tours and whatever haulage jobs they can find. The govern ment has built the family a new, far bigger, hillside home. It commands a spectacular view of the river and the new city of Wushan, but as yet has no running water or electricity. Although they grow a few vegetables, the land is too steep to be cultivated. But Huang is sanguine. "I may float over my old home every day, but I never think about it. What's the point?" says the 32-year-old. "We can't change anything. And besides, life is better now. We have a new home, more space and more money. The dam has been good for us." | |
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