Tales from China’s homes away from home
Words | Kang Ning
Photos | Wu Huiyuan
Over the last four decades, China’s economic reforms have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. Yet today, more than 16 million people in rural areas are estimated to still live in want, particularly in the country’s central and western hinterland.
The Chinese government has embarked on an ambitious project to eradicate poverty by 2020. To achieve this goal, officials plan to invest nearly 1 trillion yuan ($149 billion) and relocate 30 million citizens. As of the end of 2015, more than 12 million citizens had already been resettled.
The state claims that resettlement campaigns raise living standards, help impoverished communities engage with the market economy, provide relief after natural disasters, and protect the local environment. In many cases, these arguments seem convincing enough.
But in other cases, it’s more nuanced. Some citizens complain that local officials have forced them to resettle, that government relocation subsidies have been lower than promised, that new housing is lower-quality, or that they lack the necessary skills to participate in local industries. Others feel cut off from places they once called home, eking out more lucrative, but less fulfilling existences.
The modern Chinese state has a history of compelling citizens to relocate for its policy goals. Prior to the completion of the Three Gorges Dam, the government rehoused 1.4 million people from across central and southwestern China. Among other aims, the project sought to prevent flooding, generate hydroelectric power, and benefit inland shipping, but its environmental, social, and psychological impacts remain controversial.
Sixth Tone and its sister publication, The Paper, visited settlements in remote parts of central and northwestern China to speak to locals affected by relocation. Each area implemented central policy in a unique way, with varying degrees of success.
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