Beijing Underground City

　　Beijing  Underground City

　　-The Beijing Underground City’s predecessor was a civil defense project, which began construction in 1969. The underground city project took ten years to complete and was finished in 1979. It was divided into three defensive zones and connected in all directions across the urban area, forming a preliminary network of civil air defense tunnels.
　　Out of wartime preparedness considerations, starting in 1969, air-raid shelters were constructed in the Qianmen area. At that time, men, women, and children in the vicinity all pitched in. Without using machinery, they managed to dig out this massive shelter by 1979. The underground city lies eight meters beneath the surface, with the deepest parts reaching over ten meters, a width of two meters, and a total length of over 30 kilometers, capable of accommodating more than 300,000 people. Due to the enormous scale of the project and the comprehensive facilities, it was dubbed the “underground city.”

　　Geographical Location

　　　　Beijing Underground City is located in the Mouyachang area of Qianmen, Chongwen District. The entrance for visitors is on Ximouyachang Street, west of Qianmen (formerly No. 62),
　　Upon exiting the subway, you can see Qianmen Pedestrian Street. At the entrance of Qianmen Pedestrian Street stands a five-arch gateway (pailou), with Ximouyachang Street located to the east of the pailou.
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　　Tourist Information

　　　　The underground city lies 8 meters below the surface, reaches depths of up to over ten meters in some areas, has a width of two meters, and spans a total length of over 30 kilometers, capable of holding more than 300,000 people. Because of its immense construction scale and complete facilities, it is referred to as the “underground city.” Nearly 70 locations within the underground city have been identified as containing abundant groundwater; when needed, one only needs to dig a few meters down to access an endless supply. The city features 2,300 specially designed ventilation shafts that continuously supply fresh air underground. - In addition, this underground city also houses amenities such as a cinema and barbershop, along with essential living facilities. Its crisscrossing underground passages provide direct access to administrative centers, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the train station. In 1980, part of the civil defense space was used to establish the Qianmen Arts and Crafts Service Department, offering items such as the four treasures of the study, enamel and jade artifacts, jewelry, celebrity calligraphy and paintings, medicinal herbs for travel, and various other crafts. Services such as traditional Chinese medicine consultations and seal carving were also provided. The underground city currently houses a silk processing workshop.   Zone divisions inside the tunnel

　　[4]　　The underground city is twice the size of the tunnels in the Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare site in Hebei. It has a height of 2.5 meters; the narrowest sections can accommodate three people walking side by side, while the widest can fit five, and some areas are even wide enough for a jeep to pass through. Additionally, every five meters along the ceiling of the underground city, there is an energy-saving light. At each intersection of the underground passages, there is a storage room of about ten square meters, designated with names such as “Ammunition Depot,” “Quartermaster Depot,” and “War Preparedness Hospital.”
　　Previously, there were many incorrect claims about the “underground city” circulating online, all shrouded in mystery.
　　Claim one: That the underground city did not allow Chinese visitors at all, only receiving foreign tour groups, to the extent that some people angrily accused it of being a modern-day version of “No Chinese or dogs allowed.”
　　Claim two: That the place was an important base for revolutionary history education, thus allowing local group tourists to visit free of charge, but not admitting individual visitors.
　　Claim three: That individual visitors could visit but needed to present an introduction letter issued by their neighborhood committee.
　　In reality, visiting is very easy—no one asks for any documents or conducts any political checks. You just pay the fee. Both domestic and international visitors are treated equally.
　　Address: No. 62, Ximouyachang, Dongcheng District
　　Ticket Price: 20 yuan
　　Transportation: Get off at Taijichang or Zhengyi Road via bus routes 8, 9, 41, 44, 60, or 723

Beijing Underground City isAAa