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
Generally, many businesses are also closed, belonging to the chicken rib scenic spot, the natural scenery can not be seen, the only hotel is not bad. There is a vr to watch, introducing the video of the underwater ancient city after the Xin'anjiang Reservoir flooded the ancient city, which is not bad.
Wenyuan Lion City - the first non-legacy life experience base in China, it awakened the thousand-year-old lion city sleeping at the bottom of Qiandao Lake, and restored the native scene of the thousand-year-old lion city underwater. Tickets are 68 yuan online, you can experience VR, but it is very vague, there are few people in the attractions, and the popularity is not enough, so there is nothing to interact with, only a few handicrafts are doing barbed wire art. It’s okay to stroll around, but I feel that the fare is a bit high.
In Jiangjia Town, an hour's drive from Pan'an, it may be due to the epidemic, and there are fewer tourists. Tickets are required, it is recommended to buy on Trip.com, which is more favorable. The city is an Huizhou architecture, an ancient city rebuilt, with house pavilions, traditional artists, introduction of the history of the Lion City and traces of childhood memories... There are also good single-family hotels, near the lake, and pleasant scenery. If you have enough time, you can live for a while and enjoy the night view and programs of the ancient city at night.
The beauty of the world is everywhere, there is no beautiful water in Qiandao, the smoke waves, the island, the mountains and water in the distance are facing the lake, like a landscape idyllic poem, the forest oxygen bar and many islands are very fun leisure places.
It's okay to go and see
If you experience antique, it is worth a visit, if others consider whether it is worth it. For reference only! ! !
Although the weather is very hot, the scenic spot is still more suitable for walking and relaxing. There are not many people. It is suitable for walking.
Ancient Ancient Ancient Architectural Complex of Hui School, located in the southwest of Qiandao Lake, restores the small town that was found underwater for many years at that time. Although similar to many antique buildings, the commercial atmosphere inside is somewhat characteristic and cultural, unlike some places where only cheap tourist goods are placed. But because it is not in the Central Lake area of Qiandao Lake, the lake view is limited. It is only because we live in the Platinum Hotel in the scenic area that we can see the corner of Qiandao Lake and almost pass by it. However, Platinum Hotel is highly recommended. The housekeeping service is very intimate. The hotel is very antique and has the largest infinite swimming pool in Asia. It is very suitable for taking pictures. The housekeeper clothed a delicate breakfast for both of us and satiated our lunch directly.