Relocation and resettlement, often involuntary resettlement, have become key strategies in post-2000 China. Through summer 2022 field research of 45 former residents of a village in Yunnan, China that involuntarily relocated 11 years ago, we investigated their economic status and overall satisfaction after relocation using semi-structured interviews. We found that gender, age and social capital played essential roles in involuntary relocation outcomes.