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Flooded Chinese village comes back to the surface after reservoir drained

Villagers catch glimpse of their old home for the first time in more than five decades

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A stone bridge in the once submerged village. Photo: 163.com
Alice Yanin Shanghai

Traces of an old village that was flooded over 50 years ago to make way for a reservoir have resurfaced after the authorities in southeast China drained most of its water, according to local media reports.

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The remains of the village can now be seen once more in Donghuli in Shanggao county in Jiangxi province.

Dozens of families had to move in 1961 when construction began on the Nangang Reservoir. 

A wall revealed after the reservoir’s waters were drained. Photo: 163.com
A wall revealed after the reservoir’s waters were drained. Photo: 163.com

The village was slowly submerged after the reservoir was completed and filled with water. 

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However, from the end of last year the local authorities began to pump large amounts of water out of the reservoir to help supply a new drinking water network for nearby urban areas. 

With the last of the water drained from the reservoir this month, residents finally saw their old village again for the first time in 56 years, the Jiangnan City News reported. 

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