A river that seals bonds

In Guangdong, local authorities have also taken tough action against pollution in the Dongjiang basin. At the provincial level alone, Guangdong has enacted 13 laws and regulations to protect the river. Most importantly, Jiangxi and Guangdong set up an ecological compensation mechanism in 2016, leading in the nation's efforts in this respect. According to the first-phase treaty from 2016 to 2018, Ganzhou received subsidies from Jiangxi and Guangdong, as well as the central government, of up to 1.5 billion yuan (US$232 million) after meeting the ecological-protection requirements. The second-phase treaty, from 2019 to 2021, was signed early last year.

Counties near the Dongjiang source also formed a relatively complete ecological protection system, including forest and river conservation, sewage treatment, garbage classification, and education for local villagers.

According to Zhong Shanbin, a village cadre in Xunwu, the county's sewage treatment and garbage classification systems have reached the level of a city. The local government also helped residents grow cash crops that would cause less soil erosion.

Wen said he is happy to see more governmental-level collaboration to protect the Dongjiang River as it could better coordinate the various parties concerned and unleash their potential.

Besides environmental protection, he hopes there will be greater cooperation between the upstream and downstream in areas like education and investment. In his view, the bond was created by the collective responsibility of protecting the river, and it can be stronger, with deeper and wider collaboration.

Before the Dongjiangyuan village was relocated, Wen came to the village and took photos for every household. After the relocation, Lo and other volunteers also visited the residents' new home at town.

Wen also set up his own non-governmental organization in Guangzhou, continuing to focus on protecting the river. He held photo exhibitions showcasing the conservation work, local culture and customs in Dongjiangyuan village. The exhibition was held in Xunwu, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Time is like a river. You can't touch the same water twice because the flow that has already passed will never pass again. People come and go to Wen's exhibitions. But those moments in film are here to stay, thanks to the efforts of people at the source.