The Underground City of Beijing

William · 03-16-2008, 03:13 PM

It's real -- dozens if not hundreds of kilometers of tunnels, dug out during the Cold War at the order of Mao, meant to house hundreds of thousands of Beijing citizens in case of a bombing. At least that many "volunteers" -- that is to say, people who didn't want to be singled out as unenthusiastic about digging a giant tunnel network -- hewed the complex from the foundations of the city over the course of several years in the 1960s. The upper levels include a hospital, classrooms, and business places ranging from restaurants and mushroom farms to a barbershop to a silk textile factory. There are lower levels as well, but if you've arrived with a minder you won't be allowed down into the unmaintained, dark, rubble-strewn tunnels. You'll pretty much be restricted to a very small part of the network, in fact.

The main publically known entrance is 62 Damochang Road, just south of Tienanmen Square. This one is open to tourists, who will be watched over carefully by their English-speaking guide (who will happen to be a trained soldier of the People's Liberation Army, and hopefully will not have occasion to demonstrate just exactly what the rather specialized training is in). Oddly enough, though, locals aren't let in. I emphasize: tourists yes, locals no. The Army doesn't want to risk having one of the permanent residents of the tunnels recognize someone.

Those permanent residents are ghosts -- thousands of them. If there's one thing China has in abundance, it's manpower, and if there was one thing the Great Leap Forward produced in abundance, it was dead manpower. Dying in a time of fear, famine and war, doing backbreaking labor in dark underground tunnels, in the name of a personality cult... yes, that will produce an unsettled spirit here and there. It was looking fair to produce a Tether to Fate, too, which the brighter of those ghosts realized. As none of them wished to exist next to a staircase to Hell, a desperate plot was hatched. Some of the building materials for the project had been scavenged from ancient archaeological sites in the city, destroying a Tether to Penglai in the process. By hook and by crook, several key stones were distributed to significant points throughout the network, and the ghosts anchored not only to them but, somehow, to each other. The Essence flow from the project was halted and reflected back in to the population. The forming Tether was instantly disrupted.

However, the barrier had a side effect: deaths that might not ordinarily have produced a ghost now did so more frequently. Deaths not just in the project, but in the city above, resulted in more and more trapped spirits. Dig out your Liber Umbrarum -- there are all types of restless dead down here. It's all that the modern Army can do to keep them contained in the lower levels, away from casual inspection by locals.

However, the human citizens aren't the main travelers in the labyrinth. The intent of the labyrinth was to be accessible quickly to residents all over central Beijing, so entrances can be found, mostly unwatched around odd nooks and crannies within a few minutes' walk of anywhere in the central city. Of course these days most entrances are kept locked, if not particularly well-guarded. Another is in the Great Hall of the People; another is in a carpet factory in the Chongwen District. The tunnels are known to go at least as far as the International Airport (20 km NE), northwest to the Summer Palace, and west to the hills west of the city. Rumor has it, though, that spurs go as far as the city of Tianjin, 100 km to the southeast. An underground labyrinth of nearly-deserted tunnels, giving access (especially for someone that can pass through a locked door easily) to almost anywhere in a major city, is an express-lane highway for celestials, who regularly use the tunnel network to get from Point A to Point B in the region. Valeforians particularly love the place, and demons of Fear and Death find the atmosphere quite homey. Angels in need can also use the network, though they will be more likely to encounter foes, not to mention disturbed spirits that are consciously or unconsciously drawn to someone they don't need to hide from. The main reason they might descend into the labyrinth is hot pursuit, but if doing so they will more than likely find themselves working in enemy territory.

Very... dungeon-like... enemy territory, at that.

Archangel Beth · 03-17-2008, 12:28 PM

...

1) I now want to know if locals are REALLY not allowed into the place, and the mundane explanation. O:D

2) Ooooo, ghosts! Mmmm, Liber Umbrarum!

3) ...did you just suggest, in essence, GURPS In Nomine Fantasy Dungeons?

I boggle at you.

William · 03-17-2008, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel Beth

...

1) I now want to know if locals are REALLY not allowed into the place, and the mundane explanation. O:D

Locals are really not allowed into the place, and it's probably because there are reminders everywhere of the Cultural Revolution, which is still a sore point for a lot of people in China.

Quote:

2) Ooooo, ghosts! Mmmm, Liber Umbrarum!

3) ...did you just suggest, in essence, GURPS In Nomine Fantasy Dungeons?

I boggle at you.

Demons, ghosts, and lost goodies, oh my!

Archangel Beth · 03-17-2008, 06:37 PM

Huuuuh!

Interesting indeed.

(Mmm, lost goodies. Hidden artifacts. Mysterious sealed Soulcatchers...)

tylrlsaa · 03-18-2008, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William

It's real -- dozens if not hundreds of kilometers of tunnels, dug out during the Cold War at the order of Mao, meant to house hundreds of thousands of Beijing citizens in case of a bombing.

Very... dungeon-like... enemy territory, at that.

Seriously? This is a real place?

William · 03-18-2008, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tylrlsaa

Seriously? This is a real place?

Yep.

CNN, government site, TIME magazine, Google will get you plenty more.

03-16-2008, 03:13 PM	#1
William Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Upper Peninsula of Michigan	The Underground City of Beijing It's real -- dozens if not hundreds of kilometers of tunnels, dug out during the Cold War at the order of Mao, meant to house hundreds of thousands of Beijing citizens in case of a bombing. At least that many "volunteers" -- that is to say, people who didn't want to be singled out as unenthusiastic about digging a giant tunnel network -- hewed the complex from the foundations of the city over the course of several years in the 1960s. The upper levels include a hospital, classrooms, and business places ranging from restaurants and mushroom farms to a barbershop to a silk textile factory. There are lower levels as well, but if you've arrived with a minder you won't be allowed down into the unmaintained, dark, rubble-strewn tunnels. You'll pretty much be restricted to a very small part of the network, in fact. The main publically known entrance is 62 Damochang Road, just south of Tienanmen Square. This one is open to tourists, who will be watched over carefully by their English-speaking guide (who will happen to be a trained soldier of the People's Liberation Army, and hopefully will not have occasion to demonstrate just exactly what the rather specialized training is in). Oddly enough, though, locals aren't let in. I emphasize: tourists yes, locals no. The Army doesn't want to risk having one of the permanent residents of the tunnels recognize someone. Those permanent residents are ghosts -- thousands of them. If there's one thing China has in abundance, it's manpower, and if there was one thing the Great Leap Forward produced in abundance, it was dead manpower. Dying in a time of fear, famine and war, doing backbreaking labor in dark underground tunnels, in the name of a personality cult... yes, that will produce an unsettled spirit here and there. It was looking fair to produce a Tether to Fate, too, which the brighter of those ghosts realized. As none of them wished to exist next to a staircase to Hell, a desperate plot was hatched. Some of the building materials for the project had been scavenged from ancient archaeological sites in the city, destroying a Tether to Penglai in the process. By hook and by crook, several key stones were distributed to significant points throughout the network, and the ghosts anchored not only to them but, somehow, to each other. The Essence flow from the project was halted and reflected back in to the population. The forming Tether was instantly disrupted. However, the barrier had a side effect: deaths that might not ordinarily have produced a ghost now did so more frequently. Deaths not just in the project, but in the city above, resulted in more and more trapped spirits. Dig out your Liber Umbrarum -- there are all types of restless dead down here. It's all that the modern Army can do to keep them contained in the lower levels, away from casual inspection by locals. However, the human citizens aren't the main travelers in the labyrinth. The intent of the labyrinth was to be accessible quickly to residents all over central Beijing, so entrances can be found, mostly unwatched around odd nooks and crannies within a few minutes' walk of anywhere in the central city. Of course these days most entrances are kept locked, if not particularly well-guarded. Another is in the Great Hall of the People; another is in a carpet factory in the Chongwen District. The tunnels are known to go at least as far as the International Airport (20 km NE), northwest to the Summer Palace, and west to the hills west of the city. Rumor has it, though, that spurs go as far as the city of Tianjin, 100 km to the southeast. An underground labyrinth of nearly-deserted tunnels, giving access (especially for someone that can pass through a locked door easily) to almost anywhere in a major city, is an express-lane highway for celestials, who regularly use the tunnel network to get from Point A to Point B in the region. Valeforians particularly love the place, and demons of Fear and Death find the atmosphere quite homey. Angels in need can also use the network, though they will be more likely to encounter foes, not to mention disturbed spirits that are consciously or unconsciously drawn to someone they don't need to hide from. The main reason they might descend into the labyrinth is hot pursuit, but if doing so they will more than likely find themselves working in enemy territory. Very... dungeon-like... enemy territory, at that.

03-17-2008, 12:28 PM	#2
Archangel Beth In Nomine Line Editor Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Frozen Wastelands of NH	Re: The Underground City of Beijing ... 1) I now want to know if locals are REALLY not allowed into the place, and the mundane explanation. O:D 2) Ooooo, ghosts! Mmmm, Liber Umbrarum! 3) ...did you just suggest, in essence, GURPS In Nomine Fantasy Dungeons? I boggle at you. __________________ --Beth Shamelessly adding Superiors: Lilith, GURPS Sparrials, and her fiction page to her .sig (the latter is not precisely gaming related)

03-17-2008, 06:37 PM	#4
Archangel Beth In Nomine Line Editor Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Frozen Wastelands of NH	Re: The Underground City of Beijing Huuuuh! Interesting indeed. (Mmm, lost goodies. Hidden artifacts. Mysterious sealed Soulcatchers...) __________________ --Beth Shamelessly adding Superiors: Lilith, GURPS Sparrials, and her fiction page to her .sig (the latter is not precisely gaming related)