Beijing’s underground city is known to many but remains a mystery to most. Thousands of subterranean bomb shelters were built in the late 1960s and ‘70s – the height of the Cold War – under the direction of Chairman Mao. It is currently estimated that 10,000 bunkers were built in Beijing in anticipation of a nuclear bomb.
It is believed that up to one million people now inhabit the capital’s underground world, National Geographic reports. Although no one knows exactly how many people live in the cramped apartments, it is reported that most residents are either migrant workers or students who come to Beijing from rural areas to study.
Beijing's mysterious underground world is off-limits to most. But in December 2015, Italian photographer Antonio Faccilongo stealthily eluded security guards and went underground. The result is an amazing collection of photographs and a fascinating glimpse into life underneath China's capital.
A musician practices his craft at the Cultural and Arts Union in Da Hong Men
University students living in a bunker in Nong Ying
Doors to old atomic bomb shelters
Real estate agents and residents of underground bunkers play pool
Real estate agents work on their computers
Father and son inhabit a bunker that doubles as an online bookstore
A woman sits on her bed in the Nong Ying atomic shelter
A man watches TV on his smartphone
A patron of an underground salon
One of many entrances to Beijing's underground city
A student practices calligraphy at an underground school
Women take a traditional Chinese dance class
Two men have dinner and drink beer at the Cultural and Arts Union
Students hang out at an underground KTV bar
A man emerges from the subterranean city
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