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Mysterious Fuxian Lake's secrets told
Posted on Friday, August 24, 2007 (CDT) by Isis
 Fuxian Lake stretches out through Chengjiang County, Jiangchuan County
and Huaning County in Yunnan Province, about 60 kilometers to Kunming
City, spanning an area of 212 square kilometers.
The lake is ranked third largest in Yunnan, right after the Dianchi
Lake and the Erhai Lake. Also the deepest lake in Yunnan, it is 155
meters deep at its greatest depth. One day, Geng Wei, a specialized
diver, found a strange phenomenon under the lake. He discovered many
stone materials, including flagstones and stone strips with thick moss
above them, could be seen.
Geng Wei believed the stones might be from a remote time. However, why
were they underwater? Where did they come from? With these questions,
Geng remember a mystical legend about the lake . Local people often
said residents could see a city-like silhouette under the lake from the
nearby mountains on a fine, calm day. Was it the ancient city mentioned in the legend?
In order to explore this riddle, Geng dove into the waters some 38 times to carry on surveys. He finally wrote a report to notify related official departments and experts in Yunnan Province of his findings.
Archaeology under the Lake
To unveil the mystery, a Chinese submarine archaeology team stationed in Fuxian Lake also became involved. Members had discovered lots of blocks scattered on the lake bottom. With the advanced use of detectors, they saw stones that formed a wall seen on a sonar display along with various flagstones. High stairs appeared in front of them. Flagstones covered with moss seemed to reveal an ancient sunken city.
The team members found the scope of the site under Fuxian Lake was extremely big, and the traces of construction were everywhere. After several days of observation and analyses, experts estimated the scope of the area is between 2.4 square kilometers to 2.7 square kilometers. Where is it from?
Some experts speculate the site might be the ancient city of Yuyuan, which disappeared mysteriously many hundreds of years ago.
Han Shu (a classic Chinese historical writing covering the history of the Western Han Dynasty, 206 BCE-9 CE), once recorded that Yuyuan City was north of Fuxian Lake.
Was the site under the lake the city recorded in Han Shu? To determine this point, the researchers first tried to determine whether the site's age tallied with history. They needed to find items that correlated with human life. After a half-month's survey, earthenware was spotted by inspection team members.
The experts believed that, from this earthenware, the site was possibly from the Warring States to the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, in order to find a more exact time, they had to find a subject that could be used for carbon 14 testing.
A City of Han Dynasty
After failing many times, team members finally found some shells attached to blocks. Through a test for carbon 14, an accurate time was discovered-the item was 1750 years old. This result proved the site was sunk during the Han period. However in the Tang Dynasty, there were still records about Yuyuan City remaining on land. Therefore, the lost city is not Yuyuan.
Another Guess
Some experts believe that, from the structure of the under-lake construction, it is extremely similar to the construction styles of the ancient Dian Country, a country with a high level of civilization. After BC 86, it mysteriously disappeared.
But other experts are suspicious, saying it is too early to make this conclusion because archaeology is a long and complex process. Solving the riddle of the old city requires longer-term archaeological excavation and careful research.
Other Riddles within Fuxian Lake
Along with the discovery of the sunken city, Fuxian Lake has taken on mythic proportions, almost as unfathomable as a Greek fable. Only parts of the secrets in the body of water have unfolded. Legends have prevailed for more than a 1,000 years.
Pegasus in Fuxian Lake
On October 24, 1991, a man named Zhang Yuxiang was fishing on the tranquil lake. Suddenly, he and others claim that a shining disk sprang out of the lake as a big fog formed. The disk vanished in the air. The boat was tossed by sudden waves. This strange phenomenon shocked Zhang and other people with him.
Actually other legends like this have spread for a long time.
According to " Cheng Jang Fu Zhi", a book in the region of Emperor Daoguang, a horse-like animal lived in the lake. Its body was pure white with red spots on its back. Sometimes it rapidly flew out of the water. People who saw were lucky. Does the Pegasus really exist in Fuxian Lake?
On an ordinary hill, Li Jiashan , in the west of Fuxian Lake, the Army patrols day and night. What do they protect? Long years ago, there was an ancient battlefield. However, as massive bronze castings were excavated, this mountain became a mystical treasure hill.
These castings came from the last stage of Warring States to the initial period of Eastern Han Dynasty, and were considered as a significant discovery of the culture of the ancient Dian country. More than 5,000 bronze castings were excavated.
There was another strange phenomenon that occurred in Li Jiashan. Lightening has struck there many times. According to experts, massive amounts of metals must be buried there, accounting for the attraction of the electrical jolts. Are there still many bronze castings in Li Jiashan?
There are many legends local people recall. An ancient fable had a description of "people who sank together with the old city and now live underwater." And some people once said, "when diving, they have spotted mummies standing in the lake."
It may be that nobody really knows the many secrets and miracles behind the beautiful scenery of Fuxian Lake.
Copyright: ChinaDaily
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