In Lion City, he had time to sketch for fun. But he had to work hard to survive rural life. He also laments losing some of his personal possessions.

"There were some things we couldn't take with us," he says.

"We had a Qing Dynasty vase we had to destroy. It was huge, and people didn't have a sense of cultural artifact protection. Our thoughts were simpler back then. We thought about the greater good of the country, so we did things even when they were at our expense."

As CCTV's special guest, Tian took a boat on the lake and showed his sketches of, and poems about, Lion City. He swells with pride when he talks about his youth and sacrifice for his country.

"Some of the children scorned us adults because they were forced to move from their homes and the place they had known all their lives. But we didn't take it to heart. We were doing our duty for our country, and that was important to us."

Tian says he understands if future generations don't know Lion City's history and culture.

"There's nothing for them there," he says, smiling. "But it offers a chance to think of a simpler time."

He believes it's most important that people know there is a city under the lake.

"The money doesn't matter," he says. "You could give us all the money in the world, and we wouldn't know what to do with it. Future generations might not care, and we don't want to pass down stories of the hardships we faced. We just want the world to know we were there."

Contact the writers at ericjou@chinadaily.com.cn and wangzhenghua@chinadaily.com.cn.