December 9, 1995 - From International Correspondent Andrea Koppel

WANXIAN, China (CNN) -- Along the banks of the Yangtze River, more than a million people are being asked to sacrifice their homes to make way for progress.

The Chinese government has embarked on the largest public works project in the world, which is sure to be a boon to the economy but a cause for despair for many of those displaced by the project.

In Wanxian, a city northeast of Chongqing, the Yangtze has been an integral part of life for people who have dwelled on its banks for hundreds of years.

Down river, work is already under way on the world's largest hydroelectric dam. To create enough energy for the dam, engineers plan to flood an area up river roughly the size of Singapore.

By the time the project is completed early next century, upwards of one and a half million people who live along the Yangtze will be forced to move to higher ground. The largest number live in the Wanxian area and, whether they want to or not, hundreds of thousands of shop owners, farmers and other residents will eventually be resettled.

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"I DON'T WANT TO MOVE, BUT THE HIGHER UPS WANT IT AND YOU'VE GOT TO DO WHAT THE GOVERNMENT TELL YOU. YOU CAN'T REFUSE TO GO."

-- Wanxian resident

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Its moderate climate and location have made Wanxian a prime producer of oranges, jasmine tea and a variety of other crops. When the time comes to begin the flooding, the crops and all resident but those lucky enough to live on high ground will have to move.

"Of course I'll miss this place," said Mrs. Xiong, a 75-year- old woman who will be displaced by the project. "We have a nice house here. Why would I want to leave and go somewhere else? But the water will come, and there won't be any choice."

Closer to downtown Wanxian, development of a new economic and technical zone has begun including the relocation of some factories and hiring of peasants. Local officials in charge of relocation admit there is no concrete plan as to where each family will go. When asked, they point vaguely to the tops of distant mountains.

"Our people are industrious and are used to making sacrifices," said Jang Jifu, vice director of the Wanxian County Relocation Office. Once the government reimburses them for their move, they will see that their living standards have been improved. So, first of all, we are doing propaganda work to convince people of the need to move."

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Xiong

"OF COURSE I'LL MISS THIS PLACE. WE HAVE A NICE HOUSE HERE. WHY WOULD I WANT TO LEAVE AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE? BUT THE WATER WILL COME, AND THERE WON'T BE ANY CHOICE."

-- Mrs. Xiong

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In recent years, human rights groups have reported at least one case of organized opposition in Wanxian County in spite of the consequences.

"It's like this, they will say to you, 'Either you leave and go wherever it is, or you can go to jail, or, if you make trouble, then the government will take everything you have away from you. You'll have nothing,'" said Dai Qing, an author.

"I don't want to move, but the higher ups want it and you've got to do what the government tell you," said one Wanxian resident. "You can't refuse to go,"

As if the impending disappearance of much of Wanxian was not already on the minds of its residents, all over the city there are numerical reminders. Only those structures above 584 feet, or 177 meters, will be spared, including the Wanxian clock tower. Funded by a rich warlord many years ago, its purpose, ironically, was to prevent floods. Now it will stand and watch as the city it was built to protect is destroyed not by nature, but man.

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