He Jiaren, 45, a resident of New Taihu Village in Xunwu county, East China's Jiangxi province, smiles and drinks tea as he sits in the spacious living room of his new house.

"In the past, all five members of my family lived in a small bungalow. After we were relocated, we moved into this four-and-a-half-story house and we now run our own grocery shop – our living conditions have improved greatly," He said.

In 2017, due to the construction of the Taihu reservoir, the village, which is situated in the northern mountainous regions, was relocated to the county center and renamed New Taihu Village.

A total of 1,153 residents from 236 households in the village, including He's family, have benefited from the relocation.

Before the relocation, Taihu village lacked modern infrastructure and transportation was poor.

"Many of the village houses were located deep in the mountains, and there were no roads connecting them to the outside world," said Ling Shenggao, the first Party secretary of Taihu New Village.

Insufficient transportation greatly affected villagers' lives.

"Back then, we lived more than 10 km away from the town, and transportation was very inconvenient, especially for children who go to school and the elderly who want to go to the hospital," He Enjing, a villager, recalled.