Shicheng, China: The Sunken City Of Qiandao Lake
CDub / YouTubeAn intricate carving in China’s submerged “Lion City.”
In 1959, the 1,400-year-old Chinese city of Shicheng was intentionally flooded to make way for a hydroelectric dam. Known as the “Lion City” due to its proximity to the “Five Lion Mountain,” Shicheng now lies more than 130 feet below the surface of the water — but its ancient architecture remains perfectly preserved, a stark reminder of what it once was.
At the time, nearly 300,000 people were forced to relocate, as their homes would soon be underwater. In 2001, however, the Chinese government orchestrated an expedition to dive down to the sunken city and see what remained of it. To their surprise, nearly everything was still intact.
Shicheng’s roadways, buildings, temples, and statues still stood exactly where they’d been nearly 40 years prior, perfectly preserved in the lake’s waters. In 2011, Chinese National Geography released a detailed account of what was found at the bottom of the lake alongside pictures of Shicheng.
There was one disheartening twist to the story: By 2011, the hydropower station that Shicheng had been flooded to provide energy for was no longer in use. In fact, it had been entirely abandoned, leaving many to wonder if it was worthwhile to submerge the city of Shicheng in the first place.
As of today, the city is still entirely underwater, but the Chinese National Geography article did spark renewed interest in Shicheng, and it is frequently visited by divers hoping to catch a glimpse of the ancient past.
