Shicheng () is an

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...

underwater city situated under

Qiandao Lake Qiandao Lake () is a man-made freshwater lake located in Chun'an County, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, that was formed after the completion of the Qiantang River, Xin'an River Hydroelectricity, hydroelectric station in 1959. Geography Qi ...

Chun'an County Chun'an () is a county of Zhejiang Province, East China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, containing the well-known Qiandao Lake and bordering Anhui Anhui is an inland Provi ...

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

Province, China, and was previously the county seat of the defunct Sui'an County (). The city was flooded for the purpose of

industrialization Industrialisation (British English, UK) American and British English spelling differences, or industrialization (American English, US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an i ...

by the

Chinese government The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...

in the year 1959 when a decision was made to construct a hydroelectric dam for the province of Zhejiang, forming

. Evidence suggests that the lost city was inhabited for centuries, but it is now primarily used as an underwater

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

by tourists and diving experts. Shicheng's name means 'Lion City', in reference to the nearby Wu Shi Mountain (Five Lion Mountain).

Origins and discovery

Shicheng was deliberately flooded to create space for a

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

on government orders. Approximately 300,000 people were relocated as a result of the project. The former residents were connected with the Lion City by ancestry and culture. Shī Chéng is believed to be the most significant Chinese city still in a good state of preservation. Many of its homes, temple structures and paved roads were preserved by being 131 feet underwater. In this way it is protected from wind, rain and sun damage. The city has five entrance gates rather than the traditional four. The stone architecture dates to the

Ming The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, t ...

and

Qing dynasties The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. Shī Chéng's streets contain 265 archways with surviving stonework dating to 1777, and the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

date to the 16th century. The

planned an expedition to explore the remains of the lost metropolis in 2001, when the city was rediscovered. In 2011, pictures and graphics were published by the magazine ''

Chinese National Geography ''Chinese National Geography'' () is a Chinese monthly magazine similar to the ''National Geographic Magazine''. Founded in 1949 in China, the magazine has revamped itself several times, and is now a popular magazine in mainland China. There is ...

'', which sparked interest among the general public and researchers to explore the site.

Tourism

Diving to Shicheng has been restricted to divers with experience of diving during the night and in deep water.

References

{{reflist Underwater ruins Ancient Chinese cities Chun'an County History of Hangzhou