Old air-raid shelters in Chongqing given second lease of life as trendy venues

Air-raid shelters built during World War II in Chongqing Municipality in southwest China are being converted into trendy new venues, with markets, shops restaurants and teahouses appealing to modern consumers and history buffs alike.

Chongqing was China's temporary capital during World War II, building a large number of air-raid shelters in which people sought refuge during bombing raids. There are over 16,000 former air-raid shelters in Chongqing, covering an area of around 1.1 million square meters.

In Chongqing's districts of Yubei and Jiangbei, 18 underground shelters have been combined into a tourism project called "Underground City," covering an area of 20,000 square meters.

One of the shelters has been transformed in to a 520-meter-long hotpot restaurant, which can seat up to 1,300 diners, where the original wartime structure is brought up to date with modern graffiti.

In another modern twist, delivery robots weave through the tunnels further enhancing the striking fusion of the past and present.

"We are natives of Chongqing, and I used to play in these air-raid shelters all the time as a kid. I think eating hotpot in an air-raid shelter is a unique experience, and it really enhances the atmosphere," said Chen Zhaobo, a local resident.

"We traveled here for the first time, my mum's friends recommended this place. It was a shelter. I think it's a special experience," said a South Korean tourist.

"Combining hotpot dining with air-raid shelters makes the venue even more appealing. On busy days, the number of groups waiting to be seated can exceed 100," said Zuo Le, project executive of the "Underground City."

Chongqing has been transforming air-raid shelters into cultural and consumer spaces, including museums, exhibitions, and bookshops since 2018.

This initiative has become a key highlight in the city's tourism plan, with over one million people visiting the shelters last year.

"We're focusing on leveraging local resources to create new landmarks and consumer experiences, aiming to attract more tourists to visit Chongqing and spend money here. During the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, we received over 33 million tourists," said Wang Shunhui, director of the Consumer Promotion Division at the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce.

Old air-raid shelters in Chongqing given second lease of life as trendy venues

China's consumer goods industry got off to a good start in 2026, with main indicators registering steady growth in the first two months, according to the data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The value added of enterprises above the designated size -- whose annual main business income reaches 20 million yuan (about 2.93 million U.S. dollars) or more -- in this sector increased by 4.8 percent year on year in January and February, accounting for 29.2 percent of the total value added, 3.1 percentage points higher than that of last year. Among the 14 major industry categories, 10 achieved positive growth.

In the two months, these enterprises achieved a business revenue of approximately 5.1 trillion yuan, up 4.4 percent year on year, while the total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 8.6 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 percent.

"The first two months were in the traditional peak consumption season, driving the growth of orders and helping to unleash production capacity in the consumer goods industry. Some emerging consumption patterns, such as experience consumption and trendy toy consumption, grew rapidly, and the supply market showed a diversified growth trend," said Dai Xiaoxia, deputy director of the Institute of Consumer Goods Industry Research of China Center for Information Industry Development.

In terms of foreign trade, exporters above the designated size delivered consumer goods worth around 592.54 billion yuan, up 2.2 percent year on year, with the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, the papermaking and paper products industry registering relatively rapid growth.

China will increase the supply of high-quality products in the consumer goods industry, steadily promoting the intelligent, green and integrated development of the sector.

China's consumer goods industry posts steady growth in first 2 months