The Sunken City of Shi Cheng, also known as the Lion City, is fondly called the Atlantis of the east by explorers.
In the Zhejiang Province of China, you can find this Shi Cheng which is an ancient underwater city rooted underneath the Qiandao Lake.
Let us go ahead and learn more about the Sunken City of Shi Cheng.
1. History of the Sunken City of Shi Cheng
The Sunken City of Shi Cheng dates back to the Han and Tang dynasties. This Lion city was submerged and then went unnoticed too.
As we saw earlier, it is underneath Qiandao Lake, which is also called Thousand Island Lake. Why is it named so? The name thousand island lake is because it comprises over a thousand islands.
Earlier, this lost city was populated for centuries. However, it is currently a major underwater tourist attraction, and diving experts make use of this place too.
2. Why Was the Sunken City of Shi Cheng Called the Lion City?
The city of Shi Cheng was termed the Lion City with relevance to the nearby Wu shi mountain in the thousand island lake. The Wu shi mountain is also known as the five lion mountain.
3. How Did the Lion City Get Sunken?
The Zhejiang Province needed to execute the Xin’an River dam project and its adjacent hydroelectric station purely for industrialization purposes.
Hence, to make way for this project, the Chinese government purposely flooded Shi Cheng city.
The hydroelectric station is known as the Xin’an river hydroelectric station.
4. What Happened to the Residents of the Sunken City of Shi Cheng?
Residents of the city were shifted due to this project. Ancestry and culture were what associated these ancient residents with the Lion City.
Also, you can find the records of the city indicate that its regions were quite big, and had a large number of arches all over the city. Not only this but Shi Cheng was also described as the most prominent Chinese city.
5. How Did the Sunken City of Shi Cheng Gain the Spotlight Again?
This ancient city which was submerged, and overlooked; grabbed the spotlight again very recently. How did this happen?
This happened when the Chinese government organized an exploration to check the remnants of the lost metropolis.
This interest was further piqued when the Chinese national geography circulated a few unique pictures as well as illustrations speculating how the lost city would have appeared before it was flooded. Let us head over to what the pictures revealed.
6. A Look into the Sunken City of Shi Cheng Before it was Flooded
The construction of Shi Cheng city comprised five entrance gates that don’t fall in line with tradition. The traditional way involves comprising only four gates.
Of the five, two gates were facing in the westward direction, while the remaining gates were facing in the other direction.
The city walls go way back centuries, and the city’s wide streets comprise huge archways highlighting historical inscriptions, and stonework containing dragons as well as phoenixes. The stone architecture goes back to the two dynasties namely the Ming and Qing.
7. What is the Condition of the Sunken City of Shi Cheng Currently?
One noteworthy point is that, though the city is still submerged in water, it has been safeguarded nicely. Water shields this city from other natural constituents, including wind, rain, and sun erosion.
But how is this possible? It is because this lost city was sunk with the help of a man-made water source. This assists in retaining the temperature of the water to stay constant without fluctuations. Hence, the structures are not under any threat shortly.
8. How to Reach the Qiandao Lake for a Visit?
You can find only very few dive operators running trips to thousand island lake. Of these, Big blue scuba is one of them.
They operate from Shanghai, and you can find them organizing scheduled trips for the lake dive.
Also, Shanghai comprises a variety of travel and accommodation options accompanied by numerous international as well as domestic airlines. You can opt for it to reach the Pudong International Airport (PVG). The same service will assist you to attain the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA).
8.1. More Details to Know About the Visit
You can choose a weekend package to visit the Qiandao Lake dives. The package comprises round-trip transport. It starts from Shanghai to the lake in the Zhejiang Province, the dives, tanks and weights, and even local accommodations. Food is also included.
If you require Nitrox and rental gear, you can avail of the same. You can find a hotel in Dashuzhen. To reach this hotel, you have to navigate the local winding roads encompassing the lake. However, the time taken to make it to the eastern edge of the Qiandao Lake is much shorter than this.
You can also stay in touch with the Beijing Dragon Diving Club to enquire about the upcoming Qiandao Lake dives. These members were the first to revisit this underwater city.
9. Information About the Dives
You are going for a lake dive, so you have to know the difference between this and clear ocean water. All divers must perform an initial checkout dive.
The dive boat can accommodate divers in groups. When you board this boat, you will be anchored in the lagoon close to the dive staging area. You have restrooms and shower facilities here.
The boat will take you to the Lion city dive sites in a short duration from the dock. The lake turns dark very soon, and dive lights are a must. Your dive will transform into a night dive as you draw close to the ruins.
Now that, we have enough information about the Sunken City of Shi Cheng, it is time for the FAQs.
10. FAQs
What is the Other Name of the Qiandao Lake?
The Qiandao Lake is also known as the thousand island lake. It is a vast stretch of fresh water.
How Many People Were Shifted During the Flooding of the City?
More than 300,000 people were relocated when the city was flooded.
Bottom Line
The Chinese national geography has kindled the interest of explorers by releasing spectacular photos of the Sunken City of Shi Cheng of Imperial China.
Do visit these mysterious ruins with the help of dive operators who run trips to the Qiandao Lake.
