The myth of the lost city of Atlantis has attracted other people for thousands of years.
Many sites have been cited as candidates for this elusive metropolis, such as China’s so-called Lion City.
The vast underwater colony has only remained empty and motionless for more than 60 years, after Beijing pushed through its “Great Leap Forward. “
This caused the country to forget much of its cultural and herbarium heritage and implement an extensive industrialization program.
The City of the Lion fell victim to this and was soon completely flooded to make way for a new hydroelectric power station, rediscovered at the beginning of this century.
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When divers reached the waters of Lake Qiandao in 2001, they discovered an entire city at the bottom.
Interest in the city and other government-backed explorations sparked in 2011, when China’s National Geography published a series of never-before-seen photographs and illustrations revealing the city’s sprawl, what it looks like today, and what it looked like in the past. This is its peak.
The expeditions revealed no less than five gateways to the city instead of the classic four, alluding to the importance and extent of the Lion City, or Shī Cheng as it was called.
The streets of the city, with more than 60 fields, feature 265 arches in which are intricate stone carvings, elements such as lions, dragons, phoenixes and ancient inscriptions.
Although the city has been around for 1,400 years, its walls, a “modern” element, are believed to date back to the 16th century, around the same time as Henry VIII, King of England.
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Shī Cheng was founded and built during the Tang Dynasty in 621 AD. and temporarily it has become a center of industry and culture.
An additional 300,000 people were still living in and around the city when the Chinese government ordered their evacuation in 1959.
While this well ended a long ancient tradition, it ensured the preservation of the city, just as it is today in Shi Chéng, as it was years ago.
In 2014, diver Lou Shanliang became one of the first to leave a government-backed expedition to dive into the lake and explore the wreckage.
Accompanied by a team tasked with photographing the wreckage and then digitizing it, they were amazed by the overall total they found in the water.
“I hope that through our filming and exploration, more submerged ancient relics and the stories they contain can come to light again,” photographer Wu Lixin told The Smithsonian.
Today, Shī Cheng is a popular tourist destination, with organized underwater tours to get a glimpse of this once-filthy rich city.
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