Last Alley Demolition has stopped at the back door to each house along this alley in Fuling. June 2002 Untitled - Qingxi “Yao ban (I will be moving),” she says as she stands by the path greeting passersby. Oct. 2002 TZhongxian Alley Oct. 2002 Super Yo-Yo Little emigrants next to the soon to be destroyed elementary school in Shibao town. June 2002 Sisters With nowhere to go yet, mostly older people remain guarding the deserted alleys of Qingxi. June 2002 Sisters With nowhere to go yet, mostly older people remain guarding the deserted alleys of Qingxi. June 2002 Untitled Fuling June 2002 Untitled - Shibao The old city of Shibao, during high tourist season, saw a steady stream of 30,000 daily visitors to the temple attraction. The new city will see no such influx of money. June 2002 Untitled - Pingxiba Eight generations have farmed, harvested silworms and lived in this condemned house. The lifestyle is now over, and the house is was knocked down in Sept. 2002. June 2002 Wushan Glare Partial reminders of life as it once was are gradually disappearing along this road into the old part of town. Nov. 2002 Untitled - Xiao Taiwan Standing in front of what's left of her neighbor's home, (name omitted) says, "Shoot this, shoot this. This is Three Gorges resettlement." Oct. 2002 “Wholesale” Eggs for sale just minutes before thousands of sticks of dynamite blast away what’s left of the waterfront area of Fengjie. Nov. 2002 Madu Boatman The water has already risen in the "Littlest" Three Gorges, through which cuts the Madu river on its way to one of the Yangtze's tributaries. Since the water level now allows passage of larger boats, people who have worked on the river their whole lives will have to find new jobs in the cities or in factories June 2002 Untitled Pingxiba, otherwise known as Little Taiwan, is a small island in the middle of the Yangtze River. The present community can trace their roots back 700 years on the island. About 1000 people are now being evacuated. June 2002 Untitled - Wanzhou Dec. 2001 Wanzhou Alley One could get lost in the endless and twisting alleyways of Wanzhou, except most are now gone, replaced by the leveled slopes of a new waterfront. Dec. 2001 Wanzhou Alley 2 Part of the old city which is now replaced by massive ship cargo ramps. Dec. 2001 Resettlement Study One of the few remaining residents of this section of Wanzhou, this girl stays with her studies even as the next day she must relocate. June 2002 Kaixian New Shop Even though waters will eventually rise by 12 feet in this city, new construction continues. Some residents are unwilling to accept that the fate of communities along the far off Yangtze is identical to what their own will be. Nov. 2002 Untitled - Kaixian In this low lying area over a hundred kilometers from the Yangtze, the water is only expected to rise several meters by 2009. But that changes nothing of the ultimate fate for this city. Nov. 2002 Fengjie Dock In the distance is a factory that is one of hundreds flanking the polluted banks of the Yangtze. June 2002 Bus Station Fuling June 2002 New Fengjie While old cities are dismantled, new cities have sprung up in lightning speed. Though not everyone is so lucky to benefit from the dramatic shift, many younger people are enjoying the chance to start fresh June 2002 Luck has Come The character on the flag above the man’s head means ‘luck’, except that it’s turned upside-down. In Mandarin, ‘upside-down’ and ‘has arrived’ are pronounced exactly the same. Dec. 2001 Chai 2 This stone, along with all of the condemned houses in this Qingxi alley, were dutifully demolished ahead of schedule. June 2002 Chai 3YunyangJune 2002 Fuling SalvageSalvaging for metal and bricks in the 'aftermath' Fuling's waterfront demolitions. June 2002 Zhongxian Alley June 2002 Chai 4 Fengdu June 2002 Gaojia Meat Stand Seemingly out of nowhere, amidst the rubble, appear vendors hoping that demolition workers might appreciate some convenience in shopping. Dec. 2001 Wanzhou Riverfront Wanzhou is located roughly 300 kilometers upstream from the construction site of the Three Gorges Dam - this city stands to lose much of its bustling waterfront when the dam is completed, and the reservoir is filled Dec. 2001 Dachang Old City One of the largest cluster of Ming and Qing dynasty houses temporarily remains in this section of Dachang. Residents are being moved to far off coastal areas of China. Some of their houses will be dismantled and moved to higher ground for "preservation". Former residents may choose to visit their ancestral homes, but strictly as tourists. June 2002 Eye on Shibao The hamlet that can be seen from the Shibaozhai Temple has since been destroyed. The plan is to build a wall around the pagoda to protect it from inundation. Dec. 2001 Yun’an Reflection In June 2003, the water in this tributary to the Yangtze will rise to just above the span of the walking bridge. Nov. 2002 Zhongxian Bank Oct 2002 Wushan Falling Dust fills the air of the demolition zone, as building fragments are toppled. Everything that can be reused is being salvaged; bricks, wire, metal, doors, window frames, pipes, etc... Nov. 2002 Kaixian on High Despite it's location over a hundred kilometers from the Yangtze, all of Kaixian city, along with the fertile low lying valley, will be submerged under just several meters of water; just enough to forever transform the whole region. Oct 2002 Fengdu break Virtually all of the demolition work is being done by hand, hammer and chisel. Larger jobs simply require more manual laborers. June 2002 Untitled - Xiao Taiwan Resettlement funds have not arrived yet, so this great grand-mother is cooking lunch for the family outside, next to a pile of rubble that used to be her home. Oct. 2002 156.ºº Demolition crews are heaving on a wall just above a water level marker indicating an interim reservoir depth. By 2009 the water level is expected to be filled to 175 meters. June 2002 Gaojia Tailor June 2002 Wanzhou Salvage Anything and everything that can be salvaged for reuse, or for sale, is collected; metal, paper, wood, bricks, wire, etc... June 2002 Untitled - Wanzhou Mixing cement for the new docks. Nov. 2002 Fengdu Salvage Most everything from the old cities, except for broken bricks, is worth someone's time salvaging it, despite the meager compensation. Oct. 2002 Next Year The Billboard above the entrance to the city of Fengdu proclaims a constant reminder of the following year's mass migration to the new city on the opposite bank of the Yangtze. Oct. 2002 Wushan Remnants Nov. 2002 Untitled - Wushan The bulk of construction and demolition jobs in the Three Gorges are done by migrant workers from all over China. Nov. 2002 Moving on in Fengdu Nearly all 50,000 residents of this town will have to be evacuated to the opposite bank of the Yangtze. Oct. 2002 Fengdu doors Before builings are demolished, window frames, doors and anything else that can be salvaged for reuse are pulled out. Oct. 2002 Lost Alley All of the houses in this cobblestoned alley of Qingxi are condemned for destruction. June 2002 Wanzhou Gloaming As the sun goes down, all of the particulate matter in the air lights up as if it is on fire. Nov. 2002 Gazing on Old Wanzhou People are watching and staring everywhere at the quickly changing landscape along the Yangtze River. Nov. 2002 Standing Ground - Wanzhou Over three quarters of this sprawling city will be flooded. The pinging sounds of hammers and chisels echo everywhere. June 2002 Gazing on Old Wushan Curious eyes watch in awe or frustration as the old cities evaporate. Nov. 2002 Standing Ground - Pingxiba Eleventh hour break from planting the last harvest on the family plot . Oct. 2002 Standing Ground - Wanzhou 2 In this condemned neighborhood, a few residents have stayed until the last possible moment. June 2002 Standing Ground - Fuling 500 kilometers from the dam site, only a skeleton of a building remains on the waterfront as a way is cleared for a massive barrier wall to retain the rising Yangtze waters. Dec. 2001 Gazing on Old Wushan 2 The new city of Wushan is located just above the old, though it will soon be just above water. Dec. 2001 Yunyang Schoolhouse Nov 2002 Wanzhou Portal June 2002 Wushan Remnants Nov. 2002 Untitled Wanzhou Nov. 2002 Fengdu Remnants Oct. 2002 Shibao Portal The reservoir will rise to the front gate of the Shibaozhai temple, but the whole town around it's perimeter has been completely torn down. June 2002 Fengdu Remnants Oct. 2002 Fuling Remnants Oct. 2002 Three Gorges Dam 11-02 Two kilometers wide, 185 meters high, 26 generators producing 18.2 millions kilowatts of elecricity, at an estimated cost of 43 billion U.S. dollars and displacing an estimated 1.2 to 1.9 million people. Nov. 2002 Fuling Wall This barrier wall, meant to hold back the rising Yangtze reservoir, is 500 kilometers from the dam site. It will theoretically prevent the city of Fuling from having to compromise more of it's waterfront than it already has. Oct. 2002 Wanzhou Portal June 2002 From Wushan Docks The two hillside markers indicate the water level expected in 2003, and the higher one in 2009. Dec. 2001 Three Gorges Dam Ship Locks This is one of five consecutive locks that will be required to lift and lower ships across the dam, between the reservoir and the Yangtze. Dec. 2001 and Nov. 2002 Fengjie Falling - 10:50am Crowds gathered on hillsides, rooftops, bridges, and balconies to witness the last remaining buildings fall to the ground. Nov. 4, 2002 Shibaozhai Temple The Yangtze reservoir is expected to rise to 175.1 meters, just at the temple gate. A proposed wall will be built to encircle the giant rock into which the temple is built. Nearly 1,300 other sites of cultural and historical importance are in the reservoir's path. Dec. 2001 Three Gorges Dam 12-01 Shacks and shanties for construction workers line the hillside, as the dam disappears into the clouds. Dec. 2001