Chairman Mao's Underground City

An underground City under Beijing to house almost 6 Million People! This is an amazing part of history. See source below for pictures.
Source: Vicland Today

In 1969, Chairman Mao commanded the construction of a second Beijing beneath the surface of the original city, designed to accommodate all six million of its then inhabitants so that if nuclear war did kick off, folk would still have somewhere to hang out and play Mah Jong while the rest of us burnt to death in a shower of atomic rain. War never came, but the city is still there. To be fair to the Chairman, by that time he was lost in the midst of those closing dark days of China’s brutal cultural revolution; the onset of motor neurone disease had shifted his ongoing descent into madness up to warp speed. No one really knows how much of the subterranean nuclear metropolis was actually completed, or just how far the network of underground tunnels and caverns was due to be extended, though it’s generally believed they connected up with all of Beijing’s main hubs and governmental locations, including Tiananmen Square, Beijing’s Central Station, and the Western Hills. Having never been fully operational, it is largely forgotten and neglected these days. In fact, most Beijingers aren’t even aware it exists.

This was built in case there was a nuclear war... Not that it would have done any good... but, the amount of time and work that must have been put into this was incredible. Looks like there is homeless people squatting down in the underground city today!


[edit on 11/18/2009 by x2Strongx]

I would bet there is stuff like this all over the world.

I thought it was funny that they mention that most people in the city are unaware of its existence entirely.

I guess if you are ever running from the police in Beijing, this would make a good hide-out.

No doubt. You can literally hid right under their noses...

Want to go off the "Grid"? Why not go underground!

This would be a great place to play around as a kid. Although I'm sure not that good of an element is down there.

But a place that can actually hold 6 million people must be one HUGE place!