Shuanglong township, Nov 2008
	The government estimates that 1.24 million residents in the area have been relocated for the Three Gorges Dam project. Some welcomed the chance to move into more modern housing, while others were unwilling to leave the spot where their family had lived for generations. A handful of residents, particularly the older ones like 81-year-old Dong Zetian (bottom right), clung on to their homes for as long as they could. I first met him in December 2007, when his farm house in Shuanglong township was still safe from the waters (about 156m then). In poor health and living alone, he said he was not aware that the water level would rise again. Ironically, his house was built against a 3m wall put up by the local authorities to mark the water level when it hits 175m. When I returned months later, his house, as well as that of another neighbour situated a few metres lower, had been torn down. The water level had risen by about 16m. Mr Dong, his neighbours said, left in search of higher ground and eventually settled into a village higher up in the mountains.
	Dec 2007 [click on photos for larger version]