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Drought forces ancient mausoleum above water

By Gao Qihui (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-05-20 10:39

A centuries-old royal mausoleum's arches and corridors that have been under Hongze Lake in East China's Jiangsu province for hundreds of years emerged Thursday, due to the months-long severe drought.

The arches and corridors of the royal mausoleum show up. [Photo/Yangzi Evening News]

The water surface area of Hongze Lake, China's fourth-largest freshwater lake, has shrunk by about 16 percent compared with the last autumn, pushing the long-submerged royal mausoleum built in 1386 out of the water.

In fact, the mausoleum that houses the forefathers of Zhu Yuanzhang – the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) - has been showing up over the past years during previous droughts.

However it is the first time that the arches and corridors of the underground palace have emerged from the water. It is the first time in 300 years, said Hu Rensheng, the mausoleum's managing committee director.

Because of the water and silt covering the mausoleum, grave robbers had been thwarted for centuries. Now the protectors worry the low water level would provide convenience to tomb raiders, which led to the local government pouring water to submerge the mausoleum again.