[dittygari]

2012-05-09 08:01
By Eric Jou, Wang Zhenghua and Zhang Jianming

Lion City is a bastion of a bygone era, hidden beneath about 30 meters of water. The pristine ruins of what was once home to about 5,400 people
is receiving new attention, and some evacuated citizens have returned to recall the settlement's glory days. Eric Jou, Wang Zhenghua and Zhang Jianming travel
to nearby Jiangjiazhen to rediscover the lost Lion City.

A treasure is hidden beneath the calm surface of Zhejiang province's Qiandaohu, or Thousand Island Lake, - an entire city. The ancient walled city in Sui'an county,
called Lion City, because of the nearby Wushi (Five Lion) Mountains, has a history that spans 1,391 years.

The settlement, which is about half the size of the Forbidden City, was home to 5,371 residents. They were relocated when the government submerged the settlement
to construct a national reservoir in 1959. It remained out of sight and out of mind until now, as media are rediscovering the underwater ruins and residents are
returning to remember the past and look to the future.

Reporters have been descending on the small town of Jiangjiazhen at the southern tip of Qiandaohu since the local government recently began efforts to bring the
submerged city into the national consciousness. Just outside Jiangjiazhen is a museum dedicated to exhibiting the history of Lion City and its also-submerged neighbor,
He Cheng. Lion City Museum board member Zhu Weizhou says it's time for the ancient city to come to the forefront of modern minds. The government is better able
to protect such relics, because it has more resources, he says. The best way to protect Lion City, Zhu says, is to leave it underwater.