Relocation helps make reunion sweeter

Liu Chunming, a farmer in Sanhe village, Heze, Shandong province, was looking forward to Spring Festival more than ever this year.

"This year the 11 members of my family were able to gather together in a spacious and well-equipped house to celebrate the festival together," Liu said, adding that he could not have imagined such a sweet life in the past.

Liu's family had lived for generations on a plain between the Yellow River and its dikes, where the river deposits silt when it floods.

During the annual flood season in July and August, the villagers' farmland and houses were at huge risk of flooding, which lowered crop yields and necessitated expensive repairs. Sometimes, the impact could even push them back into poverty.

Data from the Yellow River conservancy authorities shows that over 600,000 people used to live on the river's flood plain in Shandong, which covers 170,200 hectares.

Many had to borrow money to rebuild their houses. Then, as soon as their debts were cleared, the river would flood again.

"My previous house was shabby and small," Liu said. "Although we looked forward to Spring Festival reunions, we couldn't get together because we didn't have enough room."

Liu moved into a new house in September thanks to a relocation project launched by governments in Shandong to protect residents from flooding and lift them out of poverty. The project was completed last year.

More than 600,000 people in the province have relocated to new houses in safer locations, Li Ganjie, governor of Shandong, said when delivering the government's work report at the fifth session of the 13th Shandong Provincial People's Congress this month.

Supported by subsidies from the provincial government, Liu's family paid 146,000 yuan ($22,600) for two houses of 144 square meters each and another of 72 square meters.

"We have a warmer house, which is not only equipped with a heating system, but was built with thermal insulation," he said, adding that in his old houses, it was colder inside than outside at noon.

Local governments have also built workshops, kindergartens, community service centers and schools in the new communities.

At one workshop, Wang Feng'e was making a blanket late last month.

She said she was initially worried about having to pay more for water and electricity after relocating, but her new job near the community offered better pay, dispelling her concerns.

After practicing how to make blankets for around a month, Wang can now make one in 10 days and earns about 2,000 yuan a month.

Su Liying, who works in the same workshop, gave up her job in an auto parts factory in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, to return to her hometown last year.

"I have a good house to live in and can earn the same as I would working in other cities," Su said. "More importantly, I can accompany my child."

Her 10-year-old son is studying at the primary school in the new community. Every morning, Su and her son leave home together, and she goes to work after seeing him enter school. After school, he goes to the workshop to wait for her to get off work.

"He likes his school. Even during the winter vacation, he wants to play in the school's playground," Su said.

Liu started preparing for this year's Spring Festival after the Laba Festival, which fell on Jan 20. He had four couplets ready for his two sons to decorate their new houses for Spring Festival.

"They live in a good era," he said. "Their lives will be better and better, as the words on the couplets indicate."

Fang Zheng contributed to this story.