The Lion City of Wen Yuan beneath Qiandao Lake, revives an ancient city submerged underwater

In 1959, to construct the largest hydropower hub project in the nation at the time - the Xin'an River Hydropower Station, two ancient county towns with a thousand years of history, Hecheng and Shicheng, along with 27 townships and over 1000 villages, quietly sank into the vast blue depths of the lake. 290,000 people were relocated to provinces such as Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. Outside of Zhejiang, Jiangxi province received the most immigrants, with a total of 64,680 people. The original counties of Chun'an and Sui'an were merged into Chun'an County, which was under the jurisdiction of Jinhua. In 1963, Chun'an was reassigned to Hangzhou. In 1984, the Xin'an River Reservoir was renamed Qiandao Lake. The ancient city of Chun'an, also known as Hecheng, was almost completely dismantled before the water storage. The ancient city of Sui'an, also known as Shicheng, was preserved intact due to the rapid rise in water levels that made it impossible to dismantle in time. In 2001, relevant departments conducted an 11-month exploration of the underwater Lion City. It was discovered that when the water level was at 99 meters, the ancient city was situated 25-35 meters underwater, with the year-round water temperature maintained at around 10°C. The overall layout of the underwater ancient city was intact, with most of the city walls undamaged, and wooden structures such as houses, ancestral halls, and temples standing tall and uncorroded. Even the carved patterns on the archways from the Ming and Qing dynasties were clearly visible. At this moment, it's as if one has traveled through a time tunnel to 1959, and one can almost hear the laughter of residents walking through the streets. Time can never pause, except for the ancient city at the bottom of the lake. The underwater ancient city is a unique tourism resource in the country. How to let tourists enjoy a close-up view while making a good profit? Various development proposals such as submarine tours, lowering the water level, wall drainage, and floating tunnels were put forward and rejected one by one, and the built submarines were not approved for launch. Ultimately, the Qiandao Lake Underwater Ancient City Protection Area was established. Boating, fishing, and sand mining are prohibited. Since the underwater ancient city can only silently sleep at the bottom of the lake, why not 'rebuild' it elsewhere? In 2016, after more than a thousand days and nights and an investment of 600 million yuan, the 'Wen Yuan Lion City' was completely revived on the shores of Qiandao Lake in the charming town of Jiangjia Town. The most bustling East and North Streets were meticulously replicated based on the actual scenes of the underwater Lion City. Seven beautifully carved 'thousand-year-old demons' - seven stone archways, emerged from the water, telling us the stories that have unfolded in the underwater Lion City over the centuries. Some of the ancient city's commercial and residential buildings have also been 'revived' to their original state. The culture, scenery, and stories locked in the underwater ancient city have thus resurfaced with a new face. Wandering through Wen Yuan Lion City, what surprises people the most is the experience of time travel and revival. Unfortunately, perhaps because it is too far from the county town and inconvenient for tourists, or perhaps because replicas can never compare with the originals, despite free admission, the number of visitors to Wen Yuan Lion City is still very few, and many shops have no choice but to close down. 📍Detailed address: Center of Jiangjia Town, a famous charming town by Qiandao Lake, Chun'an County, Hangzhou Ticket price: Free Time reference: 1 hour