I wanted to go and look at the Beijing Underground City yesterday. The lady taxi driver had no idea where the place was. I tried calling the number for the place and there was no answer. I suggested just taking us to Qianmen (south of Tiananmen) where I knew it was nearby. Maybe later the taxi driver remembered the street because she took us straight there.

After getting excited about finding the place, the guide told us it was closed for “renovation” and wouldn’t open again until after the Olympics. He mentioned something about the government wanting to ensure the safety of tourists during the games, which sounded more like the reason why it was closed. It looks like he has a nice job though for the next couple of months!

The 85 square kilometers of underground tunnels were dug by manual labor during the 1960s during the cold war under Mao. Some of the tunnels have been converted to subways and an underground shopping mall at Xidan.

Adress: 62 Xidamochang Hutong, Qianmen, Chongwen District