Archaeologists yesterday tried to unlock the mystery behind what is believed to be a 2,000-year-old city buried at the bottom of Fuxian Lake in Yunnan. Aided by a mini-submarine, they undertook what they said was the first underwater exploration in China's recent history to solve the mystery of the ancient city.
There is virtually no historical documentation about the city, but archaeologists believe it was destroyed by an earthquake about 2,000 years ago.
Discovered in 1992 by explorer Geng Wei, the ruins are scattered over 2.4 square kilometres. Fuxian Lake, which is 56km from Yunnan's capital Kunming, is the country's second deepest fresh-water lake.
The mission attracted strong media interest, and about 150 reporters arrived to cover the event, which was broadcast live on state television. Several reporters joined the dive with the archaeologists.
'This is a new challenge, but we are well-prepared,' Zhang Wei, head of the archaeological team, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
The archaeologists brought pieces of relics up from the lake for examination. Some said the relics appeared to be cooking utensils.
