Originally a bomb shelter, Beijing's Underground City, is located under the ancient capital's downtown area. The complex is a 1969 relic of the Sino-Soviet border conflict and built under the directive of Chairman Mao Zedong in case of a nuclear attack.
Built by more than 300,000 local citizens, the tunnels of the underground city span an area of 85 square kilometers and are 8-18 meters below street level and have the capacity to house over 40 percent of the population in case of an attack. The remainder of the population was to escape via the underground tunnel network.
There is no authoritative information on how far the mostly hand-dug tunnels stretch, but they supposedly link all areas of central Beijing, from Xidan and Xuanwumen to Qianmen and Chongwen districts, to as far as the Western Hills.
The underground city is equipped with facilities such as restaurants, clinics, schools, theaters, reading rooms, factories, roller skating rink, a grain and oil warehouse, a barbershop and a mushroom cultivation farm. There are over 2,300 elaborate ventilation shafts and gas and waterproof hatches constructed to protect insiders from chemical attack and radioactive fallout.
Mao's slogans encouraging people to keep digging and not to seek hegemony adorn the walls. Thankfully, there was never a need for the Underground City and it remains as a dark relic of the past, yet continues to be maintained by city officials.
Those interested in visiting the site will be able to visit the theater, reading room and hospital (even if it is only from the outside). A small section of the tunnel is opened where visitors can see a small silk factory making quilts and a commentary on the double silk cocoon.
Travel tips:
Best way to visit the Underground City is by way of a tour group because they do not charge tour groups, but then again, the tour groups may charge for their services. Individual tourists need to call ahead at the above telephone number. Chinese visitors need to obtain a letter from their neighborhood authorities.
Translation available in Cantonese, Chinese, English and Korean.
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