In this episode of Culture Café, we explore some of Chongqing's old Air Raid Shelters, remnants from the Second World War that have now found new life as trendy meeting spots for locals and visitors.
The city of Chongqing, while serving as the wartime capital during the Second World War, is in a unique geographical location due to the mountains and rivers that run through and surround the city on all sides. These many hills provided the residents with opportunities to find ways to protect themselves during air raids. Dozens of emergency shelters have been dug into the hills and the mountains around Chongqing that served as a refuge but in recent years these air raid shelters or bomb shelters, have found new life. Many have now been converted and retrofitted into restaurants, bars, wine cellars, and other attractions and some, in particular, have been made famous through the visits of famous stars.