Chongqing: The First Underwater Museum in China has Been Built and Opened

From NetEast:

Chongqing Morning Posts reports on May 19, Chongqing Fuling Baiheliang (涪陵白鹤梁) underwater museum – the cultural relic protection projects in Three-Gorge reservoir district, which was invested for over 200 millions RMB, has opened to the public on May 18.

The Visitors In The Underwater Aisle, Visiting Baiheliang at the downside of Yangtze River Through The Round Porthole

Opening of Museum, Attracted Large Numbers Of People

Baiheliang inscriptions located in the upper reaches of Three-Gorge reservoir district of Yangtze River in the north area of Chongqing Fuling district, and it is the only national cultural relic protection units of Three-Gorge cultural landscape, the UNESCO named it as "The only well-preserved ancient hydrological station in the world." It is a giant stone with 1600-meter-length and 15-meter-width and it shows up of the water surface during the low water period of Yangtze River from each December to March in the following year. The stone was engraved with 164 paragraphs of rock carved abstracts from the first year of Guangde period of the Tang Dynasty (The year of 763) to the present age, of which there was 108 hydrological abstracts; 14 stone fish figures, of which there was 3 hydrological signs, counted for 30,000 words. The inscriptions and images spasmodically recorded the historical low water circumstances of 72 particular years in the past more than 1200 years, that contributed the significant historical values to the research of low water rule, shipping and production etc. of the middle and upper reaches of Yantze River.

Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Project, Baiheliang inscription perpetually sank into the downside of the river. For the later generations’ viewing this relic, the state has invested 200 million to build the Baiheliang underwater museum. The entire protection project was consisted of four parts – "The Underwater Museum", "The Aisle Connected the Traffic", "The Crash Cushion Cylinder Under the Water",and "The Land-based Gallery". The underwater museum is just as a protection shell built in situ of Baiheliang. The tourists can go down to the underwater channel with the sight-seeing window and enjoy the Baiheliang inscriptions through the glass porthole. It was installed 6 rows and 150 light source groups in the protection body, each light source group was consisted of 9 small lights, while each light hided 8 spotlights and astigmatism lights. Baiheliang underwater protection body is just like a spectacular Crystal Palace. The tourists can operate the camera according to their own needs in the showroom built on the protection embankment of Yangtze River, and have a close-up view of Baiheliang from different angles through the computer screen. Further more, a small number of professionals can also visit Baiheliang by the way of diving.
Source: Dragonsoft Net – Chongqing Morning Post(Chongqing)