From October 13 to 14, around 100 former leaders and officials from the State Council Three Gorges Office and various provinces and cities across the country who have been engaged in the program of pairing assistance to the Three Gorges Reservoir Area gathered in Yichang for the meeting of “30-years of Emotional Ties with the Three Gorges: Pairing Assistance to the Reservoir Area”.

　　The delegation visited the hydrological historical recording spots and the Three Gorges Dam navigation hub project in Sandouping Town, where they gained an in-depth knowledge of the comprehensive benefits brought by the Three Gorges Project in flood control, power generation and shipping, and felt the magnificence of the vital project. They also visited the Three Gorges Project Museum and observed the graphic and textual exhibitions and cultural relics, gaining a profound understanding of the hundred-year journey of the Three Gorges Project and the glorious years of its construction. In Xujiachong Village, they had friendly exchanges with local leaders and villagers, witnessing the happy life of the villagers resettled from the reservoir-induced areas. During the visit and inspection, all the delegation members gave full recognition to the economic development, urban construction, and ecological environment protection of Yichang.

　　It is understood that over the past 30 years, various national departments and provinces and cities engaged in the pairing program have come from far and wide and sincerely provided strong support and assistance to the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in Yichang, contributing significantly to the high-quality economic and social development of Yichang. Yichang has also taken advantage of the construction of the Three Gorges Project and the pairing assistance program, and has achieved a historic leap from a small city to a medium-sized city and then to a modern metropolis.

　　In the following activities of the National Economic and Trade Negotiation Conference for Pairing Assistance to the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of this year, the delegation will also visit the other assisted places of the program, including Badong, Yunyang and Fuling and attend the forum of “Retrospection of 30-year Pairing Assistance and Prospection of High-quality Development of the Reservoir Area” in Wanzhou. (Reporter/Fu Jiangshan, Correspondent/Zhang Lian)