1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: I'm editor Candice Gibson, joined today by Josh Clark is 4 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: looking rather toned and selly of chlorine from his trip 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: to the Beijing Olympics, where he competed and came away 6 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: with a what what color medal did they give to 7 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: someone who comes in last? Green? Yeah, something like that. 8 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: Although I did, I couldn't catch up to Michael Phelps 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: if I tried. Um, that kid is just built to swim, 10 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: long arms, long legs, short shrunk, winning smile. Although I 11 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: will say my my claim to fame, aside from my 12 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: green metal um, is that I took one of his 13 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: toes in my mouth accidentally. I was in the lane 14 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: next to him, so there you go. I'm planning on 15 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: cloning him. You know. I did a swab immediately afterwards, 16 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: so we're cool. But um, you know, while I was there, 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: I had found out I hadn't seen it. I just heard, 18 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: you know, rumor that um that there were some sights 19 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: to see that that the rest of the people who 20 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: were above ground and Beijing we're going to miss, and 21 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: that that was there is an underground city somewhere below Beijing. 22 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: So I'm looking all over the place trying to find this, 23 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: you know, I'm I'm looking under garbage cans for you know, manholes, 24 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: that kind of thing, and I couldn't find it. Um. 25 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: So you, in your all knowing wisdom, you're you're quite omniscient. 26 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: I was wondering if you might be able to tell 27 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: me if that's fact or fiction, since I couldn't find 28 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: any you know, definitive evidence myself. It's fact. So I 29 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: missed the underground city. It is that? Really? Sorry you did. 30 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: I was actually kind of hoping that they might route 31 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: the marathon ors through there. It's about eighteen miles UM total, 32 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,639 Speaker 1: and I thought, maybe, you know, just just passed through 33 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: just so we can see. It's sort of a nice 34 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: break from the heat of the street. You knew that 35 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: the underground city was there, and you knew what I 36 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: was going to Beijing. He didn't tell me to go 37 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: to the underground city. Just one more way I manipulate 38 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 1: your life. Well, yeah, it's not enough being your editor. 39 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: I have to control your vacation too, So tell me 40 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: why why is there a city beneath Beijing? If you 41 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: really want to know. This story begins in the seventeenth 42 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:25,839 Speaker 1: century with the Romanovs and the Ming dynasty, and this 43 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: was essentially the start of a centuries a long border 44 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: skirmish between China and Russia. Yeah, they have a lot 45 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: of border, Yeah they do. I was amazed when I 46 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 1: was there. It's really long. Yeah. And there are plenty 47 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: of other countries in the world to share borders that 48 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,080 Speaker 1: managed to get along pretty well, like the USA in 49 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:49,239 Speaker 1: Canada or the USA in Mexico. Yep. Anyway, China and 50 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: Russia not so much. It was always, you know, a 51 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: power struggle for for borders and different out partils of land, 52 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: and everyone wanted part of the others back and forth. Well. Fine, 53 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: only when communism began to sweep across Eastern Europe everything 54 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: came to peace. Right, Well you would think so, But 55 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: again still that was not the case with China and 56 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,399 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union. It's pretty surprising. I would think they'd 57 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: be like, hey, I'm communist, your communist. Let's have a 58 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: picnic along the border or something like that, you would hope. 59 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: But now, and as we know, the Cold War lost 60 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: in and as far as the US and the Soviet 61 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: Union went, there were no really physically violent skirmishes. It 62 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: was a war of threats. We've talked about the Cold 63 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: War before, one of our proxy wars. Both sides fought 64 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: each other using other nation's armies, which is kind of 65 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: screwed up. But yeah, well, China and the uss are 66 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: actually came to physical blows and it was pretty serious. 67 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: And one of the first times it happened, the Chinese 68 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: attacked a boatload of Soviet soldiers and I feel like 69 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: a literal boatload or just oh no, no, I'm sorry, 70 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: a literal boatload, literal boatload, and about twenty four of 71 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: them died. But then the Soviets retaliated and they were 72 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: a little bit more how shall I say this delicately 73 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: um ardent with their mission, and about eight hundred Chinese died. 74 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: That's like the Chicago way. Somebody brings a knife, you 75 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: bring a gun. They put one of yours in the hospital, 76 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: You put one of theirs in the morgue. See the 77 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: Soviets got that, apparently they did. They did, okay, so 78 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: people and only about sixty Soviets died. And it was 79 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: at this point that Chairman Mel said, now you know 80 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,119 Speaker 1: what enough is enough? We need to be prepared because 81 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 1: by then the Soviets were using aircraft strikes and the 82 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,479 Speaker 1: Chinese were afraid that missiles might come next or an 83 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: all out invasion over the Chinese borders. So he devised 84 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: a plan for his country just in case of an attack, 85 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: and about I think four to sixty, we're supposed to 86 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: just run towards really remote mountainous regions, run to the 87 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: hi run to the hills quite literally. Yeah, you guys, 88 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,479 Speaker 1: run to the hills. But then China's population just kept 89 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,040 Speaker 1: growing and growing and growing that he had to accommodate 90 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: the rest. So he decided to build the aforementioned underground city. 91 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,920 Speaker 1: So it was like an air raid shelter, yeah, pretty much, 92 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: only it was a really glorified air raide shelter. It 93 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: was complete with a movie theater and a roller skating 94 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: rink and a barber shop, and it was enforced with 95 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: things like places to dig wells, places to grow crops 96 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 1: that didn't need sunlight. I heard that you could grow 97 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: mushrooms down there. Yeah, And they were little schoolrooms and 98 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,599 Speaker 1: beds and separate little living quarters for everyone. It was 99 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: really like China, just below ground, and the point being 100 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: that people could live down here for up to four 101 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: months if stuff on land got too tough. How many 102 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: people could hold I think it could hold around. Yeah, 103 00:05:57,600 --> 00:05:59,239 Speaker 1: that's a lot of people. There's a lot of people. 104 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 1: And the best part is that, you know, China has 105 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: always been a nation who prizes working together accomplishing a goal, 106 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: you know, with everyone's hand in the pot. And that's 107 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: how the underground city was built, men, women and children. 108 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: They dug it by hand. Well, yeah, this was during 109 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,159 Speaker 1: the Cultural Revolution, I would imagine, right, you said it 110 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: was nineteen sixty nine that they started. Yeah, that was 111 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: the height of Chairman Mouth's like, let's all work together 112 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: to establish communism in China. Huh. Indeed. And you know 113 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: it's funny because underneath today, supposedly there's still pictures of 114 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: Chairman Mauth, you know, propaganda posters hanging up, and not 115 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,839 Speaker 1: a whole lot has changed. And so you could have 116 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: gone underneath to see the city, and you would have 117 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: entered through a very secretive portal. One of the reasons 118 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: I understand that I couldn't find it was that I 119 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 1: didn't know it did actually exist. But supposedly there were 120 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 1: secret entrances throughout the city, and I couldn't find one. 121 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 1: And although I did hear that there was this wall 122 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 1: in the shop and inflorescent like marker something like that, 123 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: there was a map of this underground city and you 124 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: had to maybe like hold the black light up to 125 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: it or something to see it, which I think is 126 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: super cool. Is that right? That's true? And so it 127 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: was a secret map so that only the Chinese would 128 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: know how to find the underground sitting. If the Soviets 129 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: came in, they would be completely unawares not there. It 130 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,239 Speaker 1: just looked like the city was deserted. Wow, that's really cool. 131 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: But even with the eighteen miles of all these underground 132 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: tunnels and all the area and all the facilities and 133 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: all the resource resources not being used, um, most of 134 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: it's closed off today. And with the Olympics coming through 135 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: in Beijing, when they were trying to spruce up the 136 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 1: city and get things looking shining and new for all 137 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: the visitors, they inadvertently or maybe purposefully, I don't know, 138 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: they tore down some of the old sites where these 139 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 1: secret interests were. So now there's even fewer spaces where 140 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: you can get underneath. That's well, that definitely explains why 141 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: I couldn't find my way down to this underground city. 142 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: That and if you're looking for a Chinese tour guide, 143 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: because no Chinese are allowed down there, I don't know. 144 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: That's really weird mystery. Yeah. Well, I hope that they 145 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: hold the Olympics in Beijing again for years from now 146 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: because I plan on going back. I'm gonna go for 147 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 1: the yellow this time, not the gold, the yellow um 148 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: which is better than green. But if it is there, 149 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: I'm going to go to the underground city, which does exist. 150 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: It's fact, right, it's fact. It's fact. And I'll tell 151 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: you one more fact. During the Olympics and all the 152 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: clamoring and excitement as people got ready, thousands of children 153 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: were named after the Olympics, some actually after the Olympics. Well, 154 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,320 Speaker 1: some of them were actually named Olympics than others were 155 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:49,680 Speaker 1: named after the Olympic mascots. Yeah, that's that's Olympic fever. 156 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: I read and I read an article on the Onion 157 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: that said, um deadly virus outbreak in China actually just 158 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: the Olympic fever. Oh no. I read when an NPI 159 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: word sort of guy who'd gotten his whole face tattooed 160 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: with Olympic memorabile. Yeah, you know, that's just something you 161 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,839 Speaker 1: regret by what September, Well, he said that he didn't 162 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: regret it. He wanted to remember it forever, and I 163 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 1: think he will agree. Yeah. Well, if you want to 164 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: learn even more about Underground Beijing, you could read why 165 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 1: is there an Underground city Beneath Beijing on how staff 166 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: works dot com for more onness and thousands of other topics. 167 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: Is it how stuff works dot com. Let us know 168 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 1: what you think. Send an email to podcast at how 169 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com