The Hometown Submerged Beneath the River

Standing on the banks of the Yangtze in Yichang, The river's mist brushes against my face. This museum holds no clashing of swords or armor, Yet harbors stories more poignant than war— The words "Three Gorges Migrants" weigh heavily like a thousand jun. Pushing open the weathered wooden door, A whole brick wall from the demolition zone strikes the eye, Each brick marked with white paint showing its address. Suddenly, I recall Peter Hessler's line in *River Town*: "Residents by the Yangtze spend their lives learning to say goodbye." "If you can't take the Yangtze's water, take a handful of soil." This was the heaviest luggage for 1.35 million migrants when they left. Thinking of Yu Qiuyu's *Where is Home*: "Home is merely the last stop of our ancestors' wanderings." Yet for the Three Gorges people, even this last stop sank beneath the river. The immersive hall's holograms recreate the ancient town before submersion— Children running on bluestone paths, The aroma of cured meat wafting from stilt houses, Teahouse storytellers' voices blending with boatmen's chants... The background hums with local dialect market cries. Leaving the museum at sunset, The river turns gold in the fading light. The deepest nostalgia in this world is never about clinging, But about mustering the Yangtze's courage To regrow roots in unfamiliar soil. At this moment, a line echoes in my ears: "Some disappearances aren't for forgetting, But for letting the river remember on our behalf." Hubei Three Gorges Migration Museum 9:00-17:00 (Closed Mondays) Free admission, reservation required