Although he had already taken care to pack all of his belongings, Liu Youshan looked around several times at his empty home on Thursday, afraid he might have forgotten something.

A boy in Xichuan county, Henan province, says goodbye on Thursday to a family member before moving to Dengzhou city in the province.

"Things can be packed, but the feelings and the familiar atmosphere cannot," Liu sighed, saying goodbye for the last time in his mind to his forefathers in heaven.

Along with the 70-year-old Liu, another 692 people in Xichuan county, Henan province, moved to new houses in Yaodian county on Thursday. They are leaving because their old homes will soon be flooded by the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, according to the provincial government.

The large undertaking is designed to transfer water from the water-rich south, mainly the Yangtze River, to the drought-prone north, providing water to more than 20 cities, including Beijing.

To make way for the project, another 85,000 people in Henan will have to abandon the places where their families had lived for generations by the end of August, the government said.

For Liu, leaving the long-time home of his family has been hard. He noted how good and sweet the water tastes in the Danjiang River as it passes Xichuan and how beautiful the surroundings are there.

Unfortunately for him, the river area is part of the central route of the water diversion project.

"I really don't want to leave, but I have to," Liu said, patting an orange tree standing near his door.

Unlike Liu, Wu Chang'ai, 68, was eager to move from his shabby old house to a brand-new two-floor building.

"All of my family was gathered on Wednesday to have a dinner and celebrate our new life," Wu smiled.

And the new homes haven't been the only attraction to people like Wu. More opportunities to gain an education also exist in Yaodian.