This Chinese Lake Looks Perfectly Normal Until You See The Ancient City Hidden Below

by N/A, 10 years ago | 2 min read

Not more than 300 kilometers from the east coast of China, in Zhejiang province, sits Qiandao Lake.

Known for its clear, sometimes drinkable water and manifold of lush, white sand islands, it is truly a picturesque place. But something far more special lies beneath its surface - the ancient city of Shicheng, or, as travelers like to call it, the "Atlantis of the East."

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The ancient city was abandoned over half a century ago when a dam was flooded in the valley where it stood.

At 40 meters below sea level, the stone architecture of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912) stands, preserved to perfection under Qiandao Lake.

And its story is most certainly different from the fictional Atlantis tale.

Shicheng (which is Mandarin for Lion City) was flooded intentionally in 1959. They did this in order to move forward with construction of the Xin'an Dam and its accompanying hydroelectric station. Nearly 300,000 people were required to relocate and some of them had a lineage in this city that spanned centuries.

The city of Shicheng was once a thriving metropolis, and stayed that way for 1,300 years.

Now, the once burgeoning city sits at the bottom of Qiandao Lake, roughly 100 feet below the surface.

Incredibly, much of the wooden components of its architecture are still almost perfectly intact.

And many of the structures still stand as they were first built.

Numerous film crews have visited over the years to record the preservation of the ruins.

And there's clearly a lot to capture...

Would you ever think that all of that lies beneath this?