Beneath China’s glowing megacities lies a second, silent world.
Built during the Cold War to survive nuclear apocalypse, these underground Cities once sheltered millions. Decades later, they still exist — not as bunkers, but as homes for the forgotten.
This is the story of a nation that built a world beneath its own feet — and then moved on, leaving ghosts behind.
1. The War That Never Came
In the late 1960s, Mao Zedong ordered the construction of thousands of underground shelters.
Tensions with the Soviet Union were at their peak, and nuclear war seemed inevitable.
China’s major cities — Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai — began hollowing themselves from the inside out.
If the bomb fell, life would continue below.
2. Building a Nation Beneath the Ground
The project, known simply as “Underground City” (Dixia Cheng), sprawled for miles under Beijing.
Tunnels connected hospitals, schools, armories, and living quarters — all carved by hand.
By 1970, an estimated 300,000 people had labored underground, creating a subterranean city large enough to house 6 million in case of nuclear attack.
3. The Underground Boom
When the Cold War cooled, the bunkers were abandoned.
But by the 1980s, something unexpected happened: the poor and the migrant workers moved in.
The shelters became a secret housing network, offering cheap rent in a city that was becoming unaffordable.
The bunkers built to survive the end of the world became homes for those surviving the modern one.
4. Life Below: The Rat Tribe of Beijing
By the 2000s, over one million people lived underground in Beijing alone.
They were called the “Rat Tribe” (Shuzu) — workers, students, dreamers.
Rooms measured just a few square meters, with no windows and perpetual artificial light.
Moisture dripped down the walls; air vents hummed like mechanical lungs.
Some called it the city’s subconscious — where ambition slept in darkness.
5. From Shelter to Shadow Economy
Landlords began renting the bunkers illegally, making small fortunes from desperate tenants.
Bars, barber shops, and micro-markets emerged in the tunnels.
Life thrived beneath the surface — parallel, unseen, and resilient.
But it couldn’t last.
6. The Government Crackdown
After safety scandals and floods, authorities began closing underground dwellings in the 2010s.
Tens of thousands were forced out. The entrances were sealed.
Yet even now, some say not all tunnels are empty.
Electric lights flicker in the dark. Pipes still hum. Somewhere, someone still lives below.
7. What Lies Beneath Today
Some sections of Beijing’s Underground City are now tourist sites — sanitized, brightly lit, stripped of their past.
Others remain sealed — inaccessible, flooded, forgotten.
But across China, similar networks exist under dozens of cities.
The future, it seems, was always meant to have layers.
FAQ – The Hidden Underground Cities Explained
Why were these underground cities built?
To protect citizens from potential nuclear war during the Sino-Soviet crisis in the 1960s–70s.
How many people lived underground?
Over one million people in Beijing alone at the height of occupancy.
What was life like?
Cramped, damp, and surreal — like living in a fluorescent maze with no sunlight.
Are they still inhabited?
Most have been closed or repurposed, though small underground communities may persist illegally.
Can you visit them?
Yes. Some tunnels, like the Dixia Cheng network, are partially open to tourists.
Further Reading & External Sources
- The Guardian – “Inside Beijing’s Underground City”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/31/beijing-underground-city-rat-tribe - BBC News – “Life in China’s Underground Homes”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-29455032 - Reuters – “China’s Underground Residents Fight to See the Sunlight”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-underground-homes-idUSBRE95A01J20130611 - CNN – “The Bunkers Beneath Beijing”
https://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/09/asia/china-underground-homes - Smithsonian Magazine – “China’s Underground Housing Boom”
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/chinas-underground-housing-boom-180961687/
Internal Links for Insider Release
“Urban Evasion Guide: Disappearing in a Modern City”
“Project Riese: Inside Hitler’s Secret Underground City”
“Unit 731: Japan’s Secret Biological War Crimes”
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