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.