HISTORY OF THE RUINS

Created in 1959, Qiandao Lake came into being when the valley at the base of the Wu Shi (Five Lion) mountain was flooded to create the Xin’anjian Reservoir and Xin’an River hydroelectric station. The massive project resulted in the flooding of two counties, three towns, more than thousand villages and the surrounding valley – forcing over 290,000 people to relocate their homes as thousands of hectares of farmland was left flooded and submerged. In addition to the direct impact on the local residents, two ancient cities in the area, located at the foot of the mountain, were also submerged into the lake

The city of Shi Cheng, or Lion City, named after Wu Shi (“Five Lion”) mountain, was built during the Tang Dynasty in 621 CE and based on record of the region’s history, is said to be as large as 60 football fields. The other city, He Cheng, is believed to date back even

further to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–200 CE)

The cities lay undisturbed at the bottom of the lake for decades until 2001 when they were rediscovered and exploration of the area began. Divers found that the city was largely intact, with original structures, carvings and arches still preserved. In January 2011, the cities were declared historical relics under the protection of Zhejiang province

A decade after Shi Cheng was rediscovered, Chinese National Geography published never-before-seen underwater images of the city, showing the amazing preservation of the stonework, Chinese National Geography

This late Eastern Han (25–200 CE) tomb mural showing lively scenes of a banquet, dance and music, acrobatics, and wrestling, gives us an idea of what life might have been like in the ancient city of He Cheng, wikimedia.org