Shi Cheng: The ancient Chinese city standing tall under an artificial lake
Do you want to explore an underwater city? If so, you can take your next holiday to China and enjoy this fascinating experience. China is home to two remarkable, underwater, ‘lost’ cities from the Han and Tang eras these are submerged under the Qiandao Lake in the Zhejiang Province of China. One of these is Shi Cheng. But are you wondering if it was originally built underwater? Or did a natural disaster submerge it? Well, none of it is true. The government submerged the city to build a dam! Let’s discover the underwater city of China!
The city of Shi Cheng and the Qiandao Lake
Shi Cheng was established in 621 AD, during the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 AD). The city was named after the neighbouring Wu Shi Mountain (Five Lion Mountain). According to historical records, it is believed to have been quite large, actually larger than 60 football fields! And this is not it, the city also had 265 arches spread all around! It featured walls from the 16th century, with five entrance gates, rather than the typical four. Currently, Shi Cheng lies submerged in the Qiandao Lake. As a result, tourists often refer to the underwater city of Shi Cheng as the ‘Atlantis of the East. The Qiandao Lake, also known as the Thousand Island Lake, is a vast freshwater body with a 573 sq. km. surface area. The name refers to the lake’s abundance of islands, which exceed over a thousand.
Why was it submerged?
In 1959, Shi Cheng was purposely flooded to make space for the Xi'an Dam and the nearby hydroelectric facility. For the project, about 300,000 people were evacuated. Some of them had families who had been in the city for centuries. The former population had a common ancestry and cultural heritage with the Lion City!
Rediscovery of Shi Cheng!
In 2001, the Chinese government organised an operation to examine if any remains of the long-lost city still existed. It is when the city was ‘rediscovered’. The submerged Shi Cheng was found to be largely intact, with many structures, carvings, guarding lions and arches still upright. Eventually, in 2011, the Chinese National Geography issued images and graphics of the city, which attracted the curiosity of both the general audience and researchers.
How is the city preserved under water?
Shi Cheng may be the most famous ancient Chinese city that is still in excellent condition. Despite being 131 feet underwater, many of the city’s houses, temples and paved roads are still in good condition. But how? Well, it is probably because the city was protected from the effects of wind, rain and sun. Also, divers and scholars have worked on mapping and documenting Shi Cheng and have investigated possible ways to keep it safe.
Advanced divers can now take regular dives between April and November to get up close to the ruins. But not everyone can dive here as it is restricted to experienced divers only. This is because the ruins are categorised as ‘Exploratory’ and are yet to be completely surveyed.