The Lion City

The Lion City, otherwise known as

Shi Cheng, is an ancient submerged city that lies at the foot of Wu Shi Mountain (Five Lion Mountain), now located about 25 to 40 metres beneath Qiandao Lake (or Thousand Island Lake) in China. Despite more than 50 years underwater, the entire city has been preserved completely intact, transforming it into a virtual time capsule, thanks to its well-preserved architecture and carvings that date back 1,400 years. The Lion City was built during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–200 AD), and was first set up as a county in 208 AD. It was once the centre of politics and economics in the eastern province of Zhejiang. But in 1959, the Chinese government decided a new hydroelectric power station was required, so it built a manmade lake, submerging Shi Cheng under 40 metres of water.