Yichang: Nestled in the mountains by the Yangtze River, Xujiachong, a village in Yichang city’s Yiling district in Hubei province, is located next to the Three Gorges Dam.
The village has a population of about 1,400, more than 1,200 of whom are migrants who moved here due to the construction of the dam.
Among the migrants is Xie Rong, who moved to Xujiachong in 1993 when she was 18.
Having witnessed the ups and downs of the village, Xie decided to start her own business in 2012 to improve not only her life, but also those of her fellow villagers.
Once the dam project began in 1994, Xujiachong residents didn’t have to worry about their incomes, Xie recalled.
The project brought a large number of construction workers to the area, thus Xujiachong villagers easily made a living by renting houses to the workers, running restaurants or grocery stores, or taking jobs at the construction site.
But the large group of construction workers left after construction of the dam was completed in 2006, leaving many villagers feeling “at a loss”, Xie said, adding that the situation prompted her to think of ways to better their lives. –The Daily Mail-China Daily exchange item
