In 1992, China launched the Three Gorges Project, which has attracted global attention. This magnificent water conservancy project has completely changed the face of the Yangtze River basin and brought unprecedented development opportunities to it.
At the same time, however, the issue of the relocation of the people of the Three Gorges also needs to be solved urgently. Many people are reluctant to leave their homes and do not leave for a long time, which requires the dispatch of a commissioner to negotiate. Under the guarantee of the state, many people gradually left their homeland, but Zhang Bingai still stubbornly refused to leave.
Despite the various benefits offered by the commissioner, Zhang Bingai remained unmoved. Now that 19 years have passed, what is her life like now?
Three Gorges Dam Project on the Yangtze River.
On April 3, 1992, the Resolution on the Construction of the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River was adopted, a decision that meant that millions of people would face mass relocation.
Zhang Bingai's village has been included in the relocation plan. Initially, the vast majority of villagers were reluctant to leave their homes, but under the propaganda of ** and village cadres, many people began to gradually accept the idea of relocation, and only a few "nail households" still firmly chose to stay in place and were unwilling to relocate.
Zhang Bingai is one of the "nail households" who resolutely do not relocate. Her home was visited several times by village officials, who explained the policy and the benefits of the relocation, and the higher-level leaders also came forward in person, but Zhang Bingai always refused to sign.
The villagers and ** were disgusted by Zhang Bingai's persistent attitude, thinking that she was stubborn and disregarded the overall situation. In the wave of the overall migration of the village, she became a "nail household", clashed with the village cadres, and was even blamed by the society, but Zhang Bingai still firmly maintained her position.
Choice. Zhang Bingai believes that her hometown is where she grew up and is her home, and leaving means giving up her family's fields and crops. For Zhang Bingai's family, this land is the support of their life and the foundation of their livelihood.
Although the surrounding neighbors and relatives have chosen to move out, Zhang Bingai still hopes that ** can let her stay in her homeland, but the staff told her that it will be completely flooded in the future.
The primary school has been closed, and the children in the village have to go to distant places to study. In the cold winter, Zhang Bingai's children had a hard time going to school, but they did not blame their mother, because they knew that everything they did was done out of good for them.
The reason why Zhang Bingai is so firm is related to her family.
Decision. Zhang Bingai's family was poor, and when she was old enough to get married, her family married her to her current husband, who was disabled. However, even after marriage, Zhang Bingai's life did not improve.
Zhang Bing'ai then welcomed the birth of two more children, and she was worried that her decision would affect the future of her children, especially her son. Now that they have taken root in the land, Zhang Bingai doesn't know what kind of challenges they will face if they move out of here. She didn't have the courage to venture out, so she had to stay where she was and wait with a fluke mentality.
*Initially a setback policy was in place to ensure residents did not have to leave their homes. However, as the works progressed, Zhang Bingai's home was completely submerged, and she had to move to higher ground to start a new life.
Despite this, she remained reluctant to move out and could only watch as her beloved fields were flooded. Zhang Bingai's family could only barely live in a makeshift grass hut on the mountain, but this did not change Zhang Bingai's determination.
The local ** has been paying attention to this special "nail household" and has provided some financial assistance to Zhang Bingai. She used the funds to buy a modest hut next to the highway and tenaciously survived.
Zhang Bingai's husband died due to long-term fatigue and stress, but unfortunately he did not wait for the completion of the Three Gorges Project and failed to witness the disappearance of the old house.
A transformation of the heart.
The main reason for Zhang Bingai's change of mind was her son. After failing the college entrance examination, her son did not become decadent, but chose another way out - to become a soldier, which seemed to have become the price of her perseverance.
Zhang Bingai gradually realized the cruel reality of life, she realized that no matter how persistent she was, she could not resist the passage of time and the pace of modernization, the simplicity of the shacks, the lack of water and electricity**, and the loneliness of the village made her deeply depressed.
In the end, Zhang Bingai's family made the decision to replan their lives. They petitioned ** to rebuild the homestead, which was granted. Now, Zhang Bingai's family is rebuilding their home.
She used the 4,800 yuan resettlement money in her hand to build a small house in a new place, and her family gradually began to adapt to the new environment. Despite a slight lag, this "nail household" finally ushered in a turnaround.
Zhang Bingai's son found a stable job after being demobilized, and her daughter also gained her own happiness, which made Zhang Bingai's family finally see the light of day.
Life now.
Although Zhang Bingai once regretted her original choice, she knew that everything was a foregone conclusion. Today, she often stands on the banks of the river, gazing at her former home.
Her persistence is not due to the impulse of profit, but out of deep affection for her hometown and responsibility to her family. Shouldering the burden of her family, she knew that her decision would have a direct impact on their lives, so she did not dare to make a rash choice and could only watch the villagers leave.
Fortunately, Zhang Bingai's son changed her mind, and the country also developed the economy of the resettlement area through technical experts and investment attraction, which ultimately contributed to the success of the local specialty industry of "Zigui Navel Orange". Zhang Bingai used the funds provided by his son to build a new house, build a pigsty, and start a new life.
Epilogue. Zhang Bingai is not unaware of the general trend, she prefers to protect her homeland and keep the land that belongs to her. She is a firm believer in delaying the moment, and for her, home is far more important than temporary material comfort.
Some see her as a "stumbling block" that hinders the progress of the entire village; Others see her as a hero who defended her hometown. However, no matter what the outside world says, Zhang Bingai has found her own future path.
In the process of pursuing development, perhaps we need more understanding and patience to explore the story behind each "nail household". It is the seemingly determined existence of these "nail households" that makes us feel the different sides of the modernization process.