What secrets are kept in the flooded ancient city of Shichen in China

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the Chinese province of Zhejiang, about one hundred and fifty kilometers from Hangzhou, there is the beautiful Qiandaohu Lake or Thousand Island Lake. This stunning beauty is by no means a work of the Creator, but the work of human hands. Only six decades ago, the valley was flooded in order to build a hydroelectric power plant. As a result, a little more than a thousand islets were formed, from which the lake got its romantic name. But the most interesting thing in this beautiful place is not what is at the top, but what is hidden by the depths of the lake. After all, the Chinese authorities buried two magnificent ancient cities under water, thereby turning them into a mysterious underwater kingdom.

Qiandaohu Lake is famous for its crystal clear water. It is used to produce the famous Nongfu Spring mineral water. The exotic islands are home to beautiful dense forests. This is a popular tourist destination, where each islet has its own theme: there is a monkey island, an island of birds, an island of snakes, an island of castles and even an island of childhood!

Despite all this, mysterious water depths keep the most interesting things here. Before the appearance of the man-made lake, here at the foot of Mount Wu Shi (Mountain of Five Lions), there were two most beautiful ancient cities - Shi Chen and He Chen. Shi Chen was built over 1300 years ago, in 621 during the Tang Dynasty. Once it was a powerful city, political, economic and cultural center.

Hye Chen is even older. It was founded during the Han Dynasty in 208. It was a business center on the Xinjiang River, and these ancient cities that preserve the history of a bygone civilization were flooded in September 1959. The Chinese government has decided that there will be a new hydroelectric power station and reservoir. This was demanded by the needs of the constantly growing population of Hangzhou.

Along with historical values that cannot be assessed, almost thirty more cities, more than a thousand villages and tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land were flooded. To implement this project, the authorities resettled just under 300 thousand people, whose families have lived in these places for centuries.

The complete indifference of the Chinese government to the preservation of ancient cities is shocking. The submerged history was consigned to oblivion for forty years. Until the local tourism official, Qiu Feng, remembered them, looking for ways to attract tourists to Qiandao Lake. He asked the divers to dive under the water and see what was there.

In September 2001, after trying to get to the flooded city, an official said: “We were lucky. As soon as we dived into the lake, we found the outer wall of the city and even raised a brick. Qiu immediately informed the government of his discovery. As many studies were carried out, experts found that the entire city, which had been under water for several decades, was not damaged at all. Even the wooden beams and stairs have been preserved intact.

After almost ten years of research, in 2011, the ancient cities were finally appreciated as important historical relics. National Geographic magazine printed photographs of the magnificent city and called it "China's Atlantis."It looked like an incredibly beautiful underwater fairy tale.

It was proposed to open cities to tourists. For this, a special submarine was built for 48 places for underwater walks. But the government has not decided how the use of a private submarine can be regulated in accordance with the law. In addition, such a device can cause strong underwater currents that can damage ancient buildings. The submarine was never meant to be used.

Some experts suggested building a protective wall under water and pumping water out of the city. But the method was recognized as too time consuming and expensive. And the walls can not withstand the pressure and collapse. Other experts believe that the best thing right now is to do nothing, as technology is so limited.

The authorities are seriously concerned about the preservation of historical sites and began to take measures. “Before using our cultural relics, we must protect them,” said Fang Minghua, former director of the Chun'an County Heritage Management Office. He also noted that currently the level of technology development does not offer reasonable options.

Researchers and experts alike are alarmed by the fact that those parts of the city that rise from their underwater tomb and are exposed to the air are almost instantly destroyed. Water for these historical values has become the best protection. In addition, the walls of the city are quite thin and there is a very real danger of damaging them due to water flows.

In order to preserve the relic, the authorities propose to ban sailing, fishing and sand digging on the lake in the surrounding areas. In the meantime, this place, which bore the proud name "Lion City", is a kind of diving mecca. Archaeologists are also very interested in preserving this stunning city with such a rich and ancient history.

At the end of 2002, the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed to build the Archimedes Bridge, also known as a suspension tunnel. The Archimedes Bridge is a very complex project. Seven countries are currently conducting studies on this issue and several proposals have been put forward. These include Norway, Japan, Switzerland, Brazil and the United States. If the construction of the Archimedes Bridge over Lake Qiandaohu is successful, it will be the first true Archimedes Bridge in the world.

In the meantime, the mysterious underwater world of slightly eerie dead cities is not available for public viewing. Its ancient and tragic history beckons and intrigues.

If you are interested in the history of the ancient world, read our article on how, using modern computer technology, it was possible to create 5 3D video constructs that allow you to see what the ancient world was like.