DiXiaCheng

on second thoughts, it sounds dreary and potentially creepy; i may not go skating.

but i'll have to pop down to check it out.
--

I'd never heard of beijing's underground city until now. Apparently it's a large ug complex, built during the late 60s when China was worried about the Soviets dropping a bomb in their neighbourhood.

Downstairs are shops, theaters, hotels, restaurants, schools, factories...
Old Chinese documentary films made in the late 1970s show Beijing dwellers growing mushrooms and raising chickens in the dimly lit tunnels.

And there's even a roller skating rink. Skaters can descend to the cool depths 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily to rent skates and whiz over the spacious terrazzo floor.

Maybe I will.