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Beijing - China

Located in central Beijing, the Underground City of Beijing was built during the Cultural Revolution to protect the population from potential nuclear attacks. Never having been used, it has become a public museum. Let's have a look. 

The place is hard to find, the surrounding area is not really welcoming. Houses in ruins, abandoned shops and piles of bricks and dust are gathered in the maze of alleys leading to the Undergound City of Beijing (dixiacheng), on the East side of Qianmen. After walking around for what seemed like hours in this historical neighbourhood behind Tiananmen Square currently being renovated, the old bomb shelter is revealed.

Opened to the public in 2000, the building is covered with white tiles along with a traditional porch where a black panel is hung underneath. The name of the place is written in Chinese and in English. Once you have passed the doorstep flanked with two statues of lion-guards, a woman dressed in a blue camouflage combat jacket and trousers, checks your tickets.

Built between 1969 and 1979 during the Cultural Revolution by Mao Zedong to protect from nuclear attacks, this place has never been used. At the foot of a steepy staircase, a local tour guide also dressed in a military outfit, is provided to show us around. First rule : it's forbidden to take picutures. Speaking rather good English, this former PLA military starts the visit with flowing words. 

"This tunnel network is 500 km long, but we are just going to see 0.5 km. The rest of the City is controlled by the governement," the tour guide explains. The City only has the name. It's limited to long corridors made of reinforced concrete and steel, walls decrepited by mildew on which we can see yellowish revolutionary or military equipment pictures, portraits of Karl Marx, Mao Zedong and other leaders from that time. A red carpet has been laid on the tour to stop you from slippering.

Space for imagination

The interest of the City lies in the fact that it provides a good space for imagination. The few empty rooms left in the darkness and built in the tunnels have all specific functions. One can guess the library although bookless, the ice-skating rink without ice, toilets, one of the hospitals which could host twenty or so people, food stores, even a resting room for the seniors whose English name "Recreational Center for senior people", seems to be rather inappropriate. "Seniors were making fabrics in this room. But because of the humidity, they could contract diseases like rheumatism, asthma etc...," the guide underlines most seriously. 

At a depth of 10 meters, water is dripping from the hardly lit rusty light bulbs hung on the ceiling. "the deepest place is 20 meter down but it's not accessible since there's no electricity," he adds. "On the other hand, phone signal is good," he boasts while showing his mobile phone. Quite rustic, the ventilation system is reduced to a small hole in the ceiling from which one can see the sky.

Several locked doors lead to Beijing's strategic locations such as Tiananmen or Wangfujing. Against the walls, plastic mannequins wear some military suits and masks. Some old military items are spread around in a place which was able to hold 300,000 people. However, it was by invitation only. "Only privileged and selected people could come here : officials, their families, important people," he insists.

After 20 minutes or so, the guide ends the visit in a large room lit with bright neon lights. The room can be taken easily for a stall in the Silk Market. "It's not a shop. It's a silk factory," the tour guide rectifies. Scarves, calligraphies, bags, quilts and other silk items are sold by salespersons in military outfits for thousands of yuans. And without saying good bye, the tour guide leaves.

Useful information :

The Underground City of Beijing (北京地下城) : Open daily : 8:30 am-5:30pm. Entry charge : 20 RMB. 62, West Damochang Hutong, Chongwen district. 崇文区西打磨厂胡同62号 . Tel : 010.6702-2657

Text : Aurélie Palancher
Photos : Wang Zhuo
December 2007