Underground City (Beijing)
The Underground City (Chinese: 地下城; pinyin: Dìxià Chéng), also known as Dixia Cheng, is a tourist attraction in Beijing, China, and a bomb shelter comprising a network of tunnels located beneath the city center of Beijing. It has been called the Underground Great Wall because it was built for the purpose of military defense. The complex was constructed during the 1970s in anticipation of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union,[1][2] and was officially opened in 2000.[3] Visitors were allowed to tour portions of the complex,[3] which has been described as "dark, damp, and genuinely eerie".[4] Dixia Cheng has been closed for renovation since at least February 2008.[1]
Location
The tunnels comprising Dixia Cheng run beneath Beijing's city center, covering an area of 85 square kilometers eight to eighteen meters under the surface.[1][2] At one time there were about 90 entrances to the complex, all of which were hidden in shops along the main streets of Qianmen.[5] Known entrances include 62 West Damochang Street in Qianmen, Beijing Qianmen Carpet Factory at 44 Xingfu Dajie in Chongwen District, and 18 Dazhalan Jie in Qianmen.[1]
History
Chinese chairman Mao Zedong ordered the construction of Dixia Cheng in 1969 during the Sino-Soviet border conflict over Zhenbao Island in the Heilongjiang River. It was one of the bomb shelters constructed in case of a nuclear attack.[3]The Underground City was designed to withstand either a nuclear or conventional attack.[1] The government claimed that the tunnels could accommodate all of Beijing's six million inhabitants upon its completion.[4]
The complex was equipped with facilities such as restaurants, clinics, schools, theaters, factories, a roller skating rink, a grain and oil warehouse, and a mushroom cultivation farm, for growing foods that require little light. Over 2,300 elaborate ventilation shafts were installed, and gas and waterproof hatches constructed to protect people in the tunnels from chemical attack and radioactive fallout. There were also more than 70 sites inside the tunnels at which water wells could be dug.[3] There is no authoritative information on the extent of the complex's tunnels[2], but one tourist explained that they link Beijing's central railway station with Tiananmen square, the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City and the Western Hills[6], while the China Internet Information Center claims that "they supposedly link all areas of central Beijing, from Xidan and Xuanwumen to Qianmen and [the] Chongwen district", in addition to the Western Hills[2]. It is also rumoured that every residence once had a secret trapdoor nearby leading to the tunnels.[2] In the event of a nuclear attack, the plan was to move half of Beijing's population underground and the other half to the Western Hills.[1]
The tunnels were built by more than 300,000 local citizens, including school children,[3] and were mostly dug by hand.[2] Centuries-old city walls, towers and gates, including the old city gates of Xizhimen, Fuchengmen, and Chongwenmen were destroyed to supply construction materials for the complex.[3]
Since the complex was built, the tunnels were used by young lovers and by children daring each other to remain in the darkness longer than their friends.[2] On busy streets, some portions of the complex were used as inexpensive hostels, while others were transformed into shopping and business centers, or even theaters. Most areas of the complex, however, were closed to the public for safety reasons.[3][1]
While the complex has never been used for its intended purpose, it had been maintained by city officials; water conservancy authorities checked it every year during rainy seasons, and it was included in anti-vermin sweeps.[3]
As a tourist attraction
The complex was officially opened in 2000, but has been closed for renovation since at least February 2008.[1] While it was open, visitors were allowed to tour portions of the complex; and was popular with foreign tourists but remained virtually forgotten by local citizens. Despite having many entrances, foreign visitors entered approved sections accessed via a small shop front in Qianmen, south of Tiananmen Square, at 62 West Damochang Street. Tour groups could enter free of charge and without prior permission; however, individual tourists not part of a group were charged 20 yuan (US$2.40) each.[3]
Inside the complex, street signs could be seen stenciled on the walls, and rooms with bunk beds and decayed cardboard boxes of water purifiers could be seen in areas not open to tourists.[1] A portrait of Mao Zedong could also be seen amidst murals of locals volunteering to dig the tunnels and fading slogans such as "Accumulate Grain", and "For the People: Prepare for War, Prepare for Famine".[4] People visiting the sections open to tourists could see signposts to major landmarks accessible by the tunnels, such as Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and could see chambers labeled with their original functions, such as cinemas, hospitals, or arsenals, as well as flood-proof gates.[5]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Jiang, Steven. (2008) Beijing Journal: An underground 'parallel universe'. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/30/oly.journal1/index.html
- ^ a b c d e f g Wang, Zhiyong. (2005) Beijing's Underground City. Retrieved July 14, 2003, from http://www.china.org.cn/english/travel/125961.htm
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Beijing China Tourist Information and Travel Guide. (n.d.) Underground City. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from http://beijingchina.ca/attractions/undergroundcity.html
- ^ a b c The New York Times Travel Guides. (n.d.) Dixia Cheng. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/china/beijing/attraction-detail.html?vid=1154654613843
- ^ a b Lonely Planet Publications. (n.d.) Beijing Underground City. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/china/beijing/sights/4719?list=true
- ^ Hultengren, Irving A. (n.d.) Beijing Underground City. Retrieved July 17, 2008, from http://www.hultengren.com/beiund.htm