If you don’t go now, the secret may be lost forever… 5 days and 3 nights at Qiandao Lake, costing 550 RMB

Dive into China’s version of “Atlantis”! Underwater millennia-old cities reveal archways and stone lions, and the lake surface even shows the outlines of streets and alleys? If you don’t go now, the secret may be lost forever.
— The lake’s beauty is just the surface; the submerged Hecheng and Shicheng cities beneath hold the most breathtaking truth of Qiandao Lake.
Beneath the 2,700 islands of Qiandao Lake,
lie two millennia-old cities submerged for 58 years:
intact archways, rows of stone lions, streets crisscrossing,
like a “time capsule underwater” paused by time!
In 1959, to build the Xin’anjiang Hydropower Station,
two Han and Tang dynasty ancient cities were entirely submerged,
with depths reaching 40 meters.
Now, footage captured by divers—
is stranger than fiction, more stunning than movies!
Experts warn tremblingly:
“In ten years, the underwater relics may completely decay…”
Yet now you can take a boat to glimpse the underwater outlines!
Today, I—the guide to this underwater secret realm,
will take you on a 4-day, 3-night journey for 550 RMB,
to not only see the lake but listen to its stories,
and step into China’s most mysterious underwater wonder!
📅 Total budget: 550 RMB (per person, excluding major transportation)
📍 Route: Qiandao Lake Town → Underwater Ancient City Viewing Boat → Qilong Alley → Wenyuan Shicheng (Reconstructed Ancient City) → Dream Forest → Lake Cycling
✅ Features: Low budget | Culture + Nature | Light exploration | Glimpse underwater wonders!
💰 Cost breakdown (budget version)
| Item | Cost | Description |
|------|------|-------------|
| 🏠 Accommodation | 180 RMB | 3 nights in hostel/homestay dorm bed, 60 RMB/night (stay in Qiandao Lake Town) |
| 🚌 Transportation | 120 RMB | Town bus + lake shuttle + viewing boat |
| 🍜 Food | 150 RMB | 50 RMB per day, enjoy organic fish head, rice soup, hickory nuts |
| 🎫 Tickets | 80 RMB | Underwater Ancient City Viewing Boat 50 RMB + Wenyuan Shicheng 30 RMB (student half price) |
| 🎒 Miscellaneous | 20 RMB | Bottled water, postcards, emergency taxi |
✅ Total: 550 RMB exactly
🗺️ Daily itinerary overview
Day 1: Arrive at Qiandao Lake Town | Settle into the old town’s lively atmosphere
Bus to “Qiandao Lake Square” → Stay near Qilong Alley hostel → Stroll Qilong Alley (old stone steps + artsy shops) → Dinner: Qiandao Lake fish head soup + farmhouse tofu (60 RMB for three)
Day 2: Underwater Ancient City Viewing Boat | Glimpse the sunken millennia-old streets
Take the “Underwater Ancient City Exploration” boat (50 RMB, 1.5 hours)
📍 Route passes over Hecheng and Shicheng, with glass-bottom and sonar projection clearly showing underwater archways, stone lions, and city walls!
The guide recounts “The Night the City Sank in 1959,” the whole group silent as if at a memorial.
Afternoon: Visit Wenyuan Shicheng (30 RMB)—a 1:1 reconstruction of the underwater ancient city,
with bluestone streets, archway clusters, and horse-head walls, as if traveling back to the Ming Dynasty.
Day 3: Lake cycling | Ride among 2,350 islands,
Rent a bike for 30 RMB/day → Cycle the Chunyang Line’s most beautiful greenway (free)
Check in at: Red Leaf Bay, Meifeng Viewing Platform (no cable car)
Evening: Watch the sunset at Dream Island Pier, the lake surface shimmering like scattered gold.
Day 4: Dream Forest or Xin’anjiang Bridge | Quietly listen to the lake’s echoes
Morning visit to Dream Forest (free, misty and fairy-tale-like)
or climb the **Xin’anjiang Bridge** to overlook the hydropower dam—
it’s what put the two millennia-old cities to eternal rest.
💡 Insider tips:
- Underwater visibility is only 2-5 meters, but sonar and aerial footage have restored the full ancient city view; the documentary “Underwater Millennia” is a must-watch!
- Want to dive? Professional diving requires a license and starts at 8,000 RMB, but the viewing boat is already breathtaking.
- Bring a flashlight! Walking Qilong Alley at night, the stone walls seem to whisper.
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**550 RMB can’t buy an underwater adventure, but it can buy a journey to “converse with a sunken civilization.”**
Every ripple you see on the lake surface
is the ancient city breathing;
every wave you hear
is a story unfinished from 58 years ago.
**If you don’t go now, it might really be too late.**
Going to Qiandao Lake
is not just to see the scenery,
it is—
**to pay the lightest respect
to a time submerged.** 🌊🏛️🔍