Ancient Underwater City: China’s Lost Atlantis

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Photo by Chinese National Geography

The ancient city of Shi Cheng was built 1300 years ago, and has been buried beneath the water in China’s eastern Zhejiang province for 53 years. Dubbed Lion City for the Five Lion Mountain it sits beside, the city lies in a valley that was flooded in 1959 to facilitate the construction of a hydropower dam. Lion City, once the center of politics, economics, and culture for the region, is now 26-40 meters beneath Qiandao Lake, making the city a fascinating time capsule, as a result of the way the water shields the city from erosion by wind, rain, and sun. Check out the gallery above for a tour of this underwater city.