De Xing, 63, tunnel supervisor, retired from Jianshe one year ago and traveled to Chongqing to work in the tunnels as a supervisor. Originally from Suchan provence but has bought a house in Nanping.
From the countries capital, to one of the largest industrial cities in the world, Chongqing’s mountainous and changing landscape is like no other. At first look, it could pass as just another metropolis in China with its skyscrapers hidden behind a thick smog and heavy traffic on its meandering highways and overpasses, but upon closer scrutiny, you will notice the array of informal micro-enterprises that have been established in disused air-raid shelters.
During the Sino-Japanese war, Chongqing (then Chungking) suffered an horrendous bombing onslaught by the Japanese. Chongqing was made the new Nationalist capital by the Kuomintang due to its strategic location in 1938. That same year, hundreds of bomb shelters were built into the sides of the mountains for asylum against the impending raids. The attacks meant to serve two purposes; to weaken Chinese defences, and inflict civilian casualties in order to weaken moral. The worst attack being on the night of the 4th June 1941 where 2,500 people were killed of injured, the majority due to suffocation in the shelters. Every year air-raid sirens can be heard all over the city in commemoration of the 10,000 Chinese people who perished in the attacks.
These shelters have a very different use now. Many have been converted into restaurants, shops and workshops. In Fujiagou, they are being used for industry. Owned by Jianshe, one of China’s most successful motorcycle companies, they produce a variety of machine parts. The workers are there 6 days a week for earning around 2000rmb a month, the workers are busy bustling away on noisy machines, under flickering light with terrible ventilation as they have been doing since the end of the war. One of the workers, whose job it is to drill holes in cylinders, says that she gets 0.04rmb per cylinder (around 80rmb a day) and that she struggles to manage the rent, bills and tuition fee for her daughter. The only school she can afford outside of the city and means that the only time she can see her child is on Friday evening and Saturdays. Sunday her daughter has to start her commute back to school. While the company pays for her endowment insurance, it wont help her financially in the short term.
In another shelter, Ms Fang, an owner of a recycling business near Liziba metro station, is struggling with the fall of the price of steel. Moving from Sichuan province 4 years ago she would earn up to 2000rmb per ton of steel, now that has dropped by 50% to 900-1000rmb per ton. But on top of that when she has a lot of work that needs to be done she hires workers to breakdown the goods to get at the metals. 4 years ago a worker would earn 180rmb per day, now thats gone up to 2050rmb. This is not something she can afford and most of the time she’s by herself in the tunnel playing the stock market on her computer. Like most of the older generation she looks to her two children to finish their studies and support her through her old age as the business that she has built for over 17 years is no longer able to support her through her retirement.
There are many workshops that have been established in the bomb shelters along the two rivers in Chongqing all with similar stories of falling demand, however one draw to built businesses in these tunnels is the low overhead. Renting a tunnel close to Lianglukou, for Ma Zhihua and Ning Pingzhi’s bicycle store and electronic scooter workshop, is so low due to the design of the tunnels. They’re cool in the summer and warmer in the winter, meaning they have no need for heating or air-conditioning year round. They pay 3000rmb rent per month, which seems to be the average of all the shops in the area, but means that they have a financial edge. This has meant that since their move to Chongqing from Hebei 10 years ago they have been able to send their three children to school (having three children is very rare in China) just outside of the city and live a comfortable life. Over the last couple of years however they have started to have problems, The internet is able to undercut their merchandise and even though the bills are low, having no shop at all seems to be the way Chongqing, China and the world is going.
Local government are in the process of transforming many of the surviving shelters into recreational areas for locals and tourists with plans in Fujiagou, to transform the working tunnels into a memorial and museum. Hundreds of others have been made into halls that residents can go to for performances and games. Established to protect people from peril, then helping Chongqing become an industrial powerhouse, to the present. They are a reminder of darker times to some, but also a brighter future.
An old "Jianshe" sign hangs from the wall. Jianshe is one of China's motorcycle manufacturing giants that became a private company in the 1970's, but had been part of the PLA's manufacturing branches up until then.
Tan, worker, enjoys the work he does and takes a great pride in the fact he is working towards creating something as part of a team. In his tunnel he is making small brush heads which takes a lot of focus and skill. During the summer months the air in the tunnel is humid and with the heat from the equipment it can be exhausting.
Each of the workers in the factory look to produce up to 2000 cylinders per day, which will work out as 80RMB. This is just enough to live on in the Xiejiawan area. House prices are rising and it won't be long before they cannot afford to live in the area that they grew up in.
With not much room to work and ventilation being almost nonexistent, it can become uncomfortable in the tunnels during the summer with dust and heat being produced from each machine.
The parts they make are shipped all over the world. These parts a worker said are being sent to Germany.
Wang, 42, washer, after the brush and tool parts have been carved, they are washed in a tub of hot water then put into hot oil for 5-10 minutes. Wang waits to scoop them out and move them to the next stage of production.
Working in the tunnels can be treacherous with no protective gear supplied by the company.
Damp, dirty and in need of refurbishment, the factory is still occupied by dedicated workers who take a huge amount of pride in their work. Four screws hang from the wall showing the different sizes that are produced.
Zhou Fen, 36, fitter, She is a single parent supporting her 15 year old child on 2000rmb (US$291.73) per month. The rent on her apartment is 500rmb (US$72.93) and pay 2000rmb per year for her daughter to go to school. She hopes that one day her daughter will graduate school and be successful so that she can help her with bills and the financial pressure she feels will be relieved.
Worker in the Fujiagou tunnel. These workers often work up to 12 hours per day six to seven days a week depending on their role in the factory.
Quality control area. A worker checks the reliability of the parts produced in the tunnels. This is an area dedicated to checking the products that have been produced, making sure they are the right dimensions before they go out to be sold.
Every part needs to be checked for the quality. The workers earn 0.04RMB for every cylinder they make and aim to produce 2000 of them per day.
A window from one of the rooms of the on site workers.
A worker prepares himself for the days tasks in the tunnels.
Before work the employees sit down for breakfast and talk about common interests like family and television.
The living quarters provided until recently to motorcycle company Jianshe’s workers.
A worker prepares himself for the days tasks in the tunnels.
Chongqing is a mountain city with steep cliffs and stairs around the city which made it a perfect place during the Anti-Japanese war. The tunnels are all around the city carved into the mountains.
Much of subterain Chongqing is tunnels during the 1930's to 1960's and a few of the tunnels have been expanded to built a metro. From Lianglukou to Jiaochangkou many of the metro tunnels in the centre are old bomb shelters.
The shop is filled with parts and wires for repairs. The couple have felt the pressure in their business over the last few years as a result of the internet. "People can buy the items cheeper online now" Pingzhi says "but here we can show them how to fit parts and give advice on the best parts to buy"
On the shop floor the family will sit down and eat together.
All of the cooking equipment and food is stored in the cupboards of the bombs helter along with bike parts.
This business focuses on repairs of electric scooters as well as the repair and sale of bicycles. The stock is kept at the back of the tunnel where it is cramped and dark.
Ma Zhihua, 38. Zhihua is also from hebei and is the electronic scooter mechanic. Compleatly self taught he and Pingzhi have been able to make a comfortable life in Chongqing. Rent for the tunnel is 3000rmb per month and says its not so cheap in comparison to other areas in Chongqing however it is cheaper then the rent the otherside of the road which are proper stores not bomb shelters. The biggest saving for his business are the bills. They dont need to pay for heating or A.C. as the tunnels keep a consistant temperater all year round.
The tunnels through the years have had many uses but the family in this tunnel not only use it as a bussiness but a meeting place and family area.
The workers of a recycling plant work tirlessly to break down whatever it is that needs to be recycled. Most often its old fridges. 1 ton of scrap metal used to be sold for 2000rmb, now just 900rmb.
During the quite periods only one person maybe working in the tunnel.
Each of the hundreds of computer parts needs to be broken apart and plastic stripped away to reveal the valuable metal for sale.
Ms Fang, 54. She came from Sichuan17 years ago to build a business in the bombing Chongqing market and started a recycling business. She spends her down time playing the stock market. Time is hard for Chongqing's recycling businesses due to the fall of the price of steel. She often is in the tunnel by herself and when there is work to be done she hires help.
Each type of metal has to be sorted through. This work has to be done quickly and well so the workers get their pay.
Busy periods can bring many workers to the tunnel looking for work or to sell their metals to the plant.
On the road between Jiefangbei and Lianglukou there are many tunnels and the network used to span for miles under the city. Today most have been closed off and are used as shop front on this streach of the mountain.