Monday, April 11, 2005

Underground tunnels in Beijing The Shanghai Daily today has an article about the opening of underground tunnels in Beijing. These were built during the cultural revolution as a defensive measure, and the tunnel system is rumoured to be all over (under) Beijing. Some say that there are even underground highways linking Tiananmen Square to the Summer Palace. I went to visit these tunnels a couple of months ago with some friends, there is an entrance close to Qianmen. From the description in the Shanghai Daily article it seems that they are talking about the same location as where I went. This in itself is strange, because this hidden tourist attraction has been around for quite some time. Maybe some government organ approved it now, and they can do some more marketing (until now it was almost impossible to find the entrance, it was hidden in the hutongs). But new or not, I would not encourage anybody to go there. It is interesting to walk a bit through the tunnels, but you constantly have the feeling that it's fake. There are signs underground saying that a side tunnel goes to the Temple of Heaven, and another one in almost the same directions says that it goes to Tiananman Square and Wangfujing. That is strange, as one is to the north of Qianmen and the other to the south. The guide (in soldiers outfit) did not like my question about this, and could not answer it. When the next authentic sign said 'to the Silk Market' (seriously!) I knew for sure it was a tourist trap. Just before exiting the tunnel you had the opportunity to buy handmade pillows and blankets, once again confirming my belief that the whole thing is a set-up to get some tourist revenues. 9:26:27 AM    comment []