Beijing Underground City was built beneath the downtown area of the city as a bomb shelter. It was opened to foreigners in 2000 and is one of the popular Beijing tourist attractions. Though well known among foreign travelers, this place enjoys a low popularity with the locals. The Beijing Underground City is often called the Underground Great Wall as both of them were built for military defense.
Underground City in Beijing was built during the Sino-Soviet border conflict during 1969 over Zhenbao Island. Fearing a nuclear attack, chairman, Mao Zedong issued orders for construction of an underground bomb shelter. More than 300,000 local citizens were involved in the construction of these tunnels. Even school children participated in building these tunnels that wind for over 30 kilometers and cover an area of 85 square kilometers. A thousand anti-raid structures are included in Beijing Underground City, which was built 18 meters under ground.
Beijing Underground City tours will take you through this vast network of tunnels. To make up for the shortage of supply materials, ancient walls and towers around the capital were torn down. The idea was to house 40% of Beijing's capital in these tunnels in case of the attack. The rest of the population was to be moved to the neighboring hills. Rumors are that once almost all residences had a trapdoor leading to Beijing Underground City.
Beijing Underground City was mostly hand-dug and was equipped with facilities like stores, restaurants, schools, theatres, reading rooms, factories, a roller skating rink, a grain and oil warehouse, barber shops and a mushroom cultivation farm. Gas and water-proof hatches were installed to guard against chemical attacks, and over 2300 elaborate ventilation shafts constructed.
Beijing Underground City was never used for its intended purpose and now serves many functions. The tunnels that were used by young lovers and children have been shut off for security purposes. Some parts have been transformed into budget hotels, shopping and business centers, and even theatres. Foreign visitors usually see a small approved section of this place.
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