Schicheng, China: The Sunken ‘Lion City’ Of Qiandao Lake
CDub / YouTubeThe intricately carved facade of a lion from China’s submerged “Lion City.”
In 1959, the 600-year-old Imperial Chinese city of Schicheng was intentionally flooded to make way for the Xin’an hydroelectric dam. Known as the “Lion City” due to its proximity to the “Five Lion Mountain,” Schicheng now lies more than 130 feet below the surface of the water — but its ancient architecture remains perfectly preserved, a reminder of what once was.
At the time, nearly 300,000 people were forced to relocate as their homes would soon be underwater, but despite this, the city was largely forgotten about.
In 2001, however, the Chinese government orchestrated an expedition to dive down tot he city and see what remained of it. To their surprise, the answer was: basically everything.
The ancient city’s roadways, buildings, temples, and statues still stood where they stood nearly 70 years ago, perfectly preserved in the lake’s waters. In 2011, Chinese National Geography released a more detailed writeup of what was found at the bottom of the lake, alongside pictures of the sunken city.
Others had also interviewed former residents of Schicheng about the city, but there was one disheartening twist to the story: by 2011, the Xinanjiang Hydropower Station, which Schicheng had been flooded to power, was no longer in use. It was, in fact, entirely abandoned, leaving many to wonder if it had been worthwhile to submerge the city of Schicheng in the first place.
As of today, the city is still entirely submerged, but the Chinese National Geography article did spark a renewed interest in the city, and it is frequently visited by divers hoping to catch a glimpse of the ancient past.
