In Chongqing, China, air-raid shelters are not just ordinary bunkers—they’re massive underground “stone mazes.” Born from the flames of war, these tunnels have become a unique symbol of the mountain city, blending history with modern-day fun.
An Underground City Forged by War
After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Chongqing became China’s wartime capital and a prime target for Japanese bombings. To protect civilians from relentless air raids, locals dug thousands of shelters into the rocky mountains with shovels and dynamite. Records show that during a 1941 bombing raid, over 200,000 people crammed into these shelters. Stretching over 50 kilometers in total and reaching 30 meters deep, they formed a sprawling “underground city,” now recognized as the world’s largest air-raid shelter network.
A Maze Structure More Complex Than an Ant Colony
The maze-like features of Chongqing’s shelters come from three key traits:
Nested Layers: Main tunnels branch into smaller passages, hidden rooms, vertical escape shafts, and secret vents.
Camouflaged Entrances: To trick enemies, some entrances were disguised as house walls, wells, or cliff cracks.
3D Networks: Many shelters connect to natural caves, creating multi-level labyrinths. Even lifelong locals get lost here!
The most extreme example is a shelter cluster in Yuzhong District, with 37 branching paths, wartime command rooms, ammunition stores, and underground hospitals—like a mini-fortress.
Hotpot, Museums, and Adventure: The Maze’s New Life
Today, these tunnels are far from abandoned. Locals have reinvented them:
Hardcore Hotpot Restaurants: The shelters’ natural insulation makes them perfect for spicy Chongqing hotpot. At Jiaochangkou Tunnel Hotpot, diners feast where bombs once fell.
Underground Culture Hubs: The Liziba Shelter now houses the “Junge Bookstore,” filled with wartime books and original air-raid sirens.
Adventure Challenges: Unopened shelters host “maze quests.” Explorers use maps and flashlights to find hidden exits within an hour. Near Hongyadong, the Secret Base Shelter adds laser traps and puzzles.
Summer Retreats: When temperatures hit 40°C (104°F) outside, shelters become free “air-conditioned lounges.” Elders play chess and mahjong inside, escaping the heat.
A Time-Traveling Maze Adventure
In Chongqing, modernity and history collide: above ground, monorails pierce skyscrapers in a cyberpunk scene, while underground, bullet-scarred tunnels whisper wartime stories. These shelters are the city’s “parallel universe,” where the past and present coexist.
Next time you visit, skip the tourist spots—head underground. Feel the rough tunnel walls, listen to the echoing winds, and let history and today’s vibrant life collide around you.
(Tip: Join guided tours for safety! Some shelters still have wartime traps—you might get in but not come out!)
This post is also available in Afrikaans, Azərbaycan dili, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Basa Jawa, Bosanski, Català, Cymraeg, Dansk, Deutsch, Eesti, Español, Esperanto, Euskara, Français, Frysk, Galego, Gàidhlig, Hrvatski, Italiano, Kiswahili, Latviešu valoda, Lietuvių kalba, Magyar, Nederlands, O'zbekcha, Polski, Português, Română, Shqip, Slovenčina, Slovenščina, Suomi, Svenska, Tagalog, Tiếng Việt, Türkçe, Íslenska, Čeština, Ελληνικά, Беларуская мова, Български, Кыргызча, Македонски јазик, Монгол, Русский, Српски језик, Татар теле, Қазақ тілі, Հայերեն, עברית, ئۇيغۇرچە, اردو, العربية, سنڌي, فارسی, كوردی, پښتو, नेपाली, मराठी, हिन्दी, অসমীয়া, বাংলা, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, ગુજરાતી, தமிழ், తెలుగు, ಕನ್ನಡ, മലയാളം, සිංහල, ไทย, ພາສາລາວ, ဗမာစာ, ქართული, አማርኛ, ភាសាខ្មែរ, 日本語, 简体中文, 繁体中文 and 한국어.