Fond Farewells

by Wang Honglian

From 1958 to 1978， more than 200，000 residents of Xichuan County， Henan Province， relocated to other areas such as Qinghai and Hubei provinces to make way for construction of the Danjiangkou Reservoir， part of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. In 2009， another 160，000 people resettled in other parts of Henan Province after groundbreaking of the middle-leg of the Project. Ultimately， about 400，000 joined the exodus from Xichuan County. These pictures were shot between 2010 and 2011， as the few remaining residents said a final goodbye to their homeland.

Photographer Wang Honglian was born in Xichuan， Henan Province. He is a member of China Folklore Photographic Association and Henan Photographers Association. Wang shot more than 30，000 pictures of resettlement and relocation to make way for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.