Walls inside Zhang Haomin's home in Zhenxi Township, in Chongqing, started cracking in 2008, around the time the reservoir behind the new Three Gorges Dam neared capacity.

"Early on, the cracks were small," said Zhang, whose home is about three meters above the reservoir's surface. "The town government had us paste paper strips on the walls to monitor the cracks. Since then, the paper has broken at least three times."