Chongqing war-era bomb shelter gets a new lease on life

While more and more former World War II-era bomb shelters in Southwest China's Chongqing have come to public attention as they have been turned into shops, restaurants, teahouses, bookstores and wine cellars, a newly opened pedestrian trail reconstructed in a bomb shelter in the city offers a unique experience for locals and tourists.

The entrance and exit of the Daijiaxiang Cliff Park Bomb Shelter Pedestrian Trail, are located in the city's Yuzhong district. The tunnel of the bomb shelter, with a 30-meter drop, is 320 meters long. It is three meters high and three to four meters wide on average, according to Li Zhiwu, director of the engineering department of the civil air defense office in Chongqing's Yuzhong district.

"The bomb shelter is typical of the mountainous city, with multiple, complex tunnels," Li says, adding that the project, connecting neighboring vital passages like Hongyadong Scenic Spot, Daijiaxiang Cliff Trail and Jialing Riverside Road, has not only extended the scenic spot, but also connected the upper and lower parts of the district.

A survey led by the office in early 2021 showed that a large number of residents and tourists suggested opening up the bomb shelter for a visit. So, the project was initiated.

"I never believed that a historical bomb shelter could be recreated like this, in an interesting way, good for taking pictures, and with a story to tell," says Li Qin, a tourist.

The office says the project takes advantage of the bomb shelter's narrow trail, steep stairs and various corners, and presents two themes — Ba and Yu Cultures and Chongqing Memory.

It utilizes three-dimensional techniques as well as illuminating 12 wall paintings which depict the city's culture and history.

It is just one of many sites originally built as shelters from air raids like the Bombardment of Chongqing, which was carried out by Japanese forces from February 1938 to August 1943. Today, the facilities serve as shelters of different sorts.

According to Wang Chengjie, who works in the regulations, publicity and education division of the Chongqing Civil Air Defense Office, the city's more than 200 shelters have been rented out for other uses, including as gas stations and museums.

He said that most shelters are in the city center, an ideal location for the businesses now housed in them.

The first batch of civil air defense demonstration projects, including the Memorial Site of the Bombardment of Chongqing, the Shibati Tunnel Site Memorial Hall and the Chongqing Civil Air Defense Publicity and Education Center, were opened last year, attracting more than 1 million visits.