The Ruins Beneath Fuxian Lake
In 2001, a diver in one of China's deepest lakes spotted stone steps and walls on the lake bed. Surveys found a whole submerged complex.
What was reported
Fuxian Lake, in Yunnan province, is one of the deepest lakes in China. In 2001, a local diver spotted large, regular stone blocks, steps and what looked like walls a few hundred metres from the shore.
Surveys using sonar and divers mapped structures across an area of about 2.4 square kilometres, including stone platforms, paved paths and large stepped mounds. Local legends had long told of a city that sank into the lake.
Explanations offered
Carbon dating of one object suggested an age of about 1,750 years, and some link the site to the ancient Dian kingdom or a Han-dynasty town. Other scientists have urged caution, arguing the evidence is not yet clear enough to say what the structures are or how they came to be underwater.
- When
- Found in 2001
- Where
- Fuxian Lake, Yunnan, China
- Witnesses
- Divers and archaeologists
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.