This past Spring, I came across a post on Reddit about an abandoned, five-story underground mall in Chengdu, China. The pictures were an interesting – albeit incredibly eerie – time capsule and the history of the place was absolutely fascinating. Built originally as a Cold War bomb shelter in 1960, it was later converted into a shopping mall and underground network known as Diyi Dado that opened in the early 1990s. Further lore details the illegal and illicit activity that eventually wound up there, sort of like an underground version of Hong Kong’s infamous Kowloon Walled City.

As I was out-and-about one day, I came across one of its entrances. My eyes lit up.

It wasn’t too far from my hotel in the general vicinity of Tianfu Square. The first entrance I saw was completely boarded up. As I walked further down the street, I came across another … and another. With no plans and all the time in the world, I vowed to find the one open entrance to this mythical place.

Closed-off entrance to the abandoned underground mall in downtown Chengdu, China (©2026 Deborah Clague).

And so I did.

Currently the only publicly-accessible entrance to the abandoned underground mall in downtown Chengdu, China (©2026 Deborah Clague).

Upon entering the mall, there are a few shops still open. These include a food stall, multiple nail salons, phone accessories, clothing store and one shop specializing in military gear. Continuing to walk further beyond this, all storefronts – dozens and dozens of them – are completely closed up, some with dusty furniture and merchandise still inside. All resembling an early 90s liminal space fever dream.

Diyi Dado’s area is absolutely massive at 90,000+ sq.m. The most curious thing is that there was absolutely no barrier to me entering this abandoned mall, despite it resembling an OH+S nightmare. Some people looked at me, perhaps questioning why a middle-aged white woman was wandering through, but no one stopped me and I decided to explore. I eventually went down two levels. The lighting started to get darker and the smell of mildew started to get stronger. I regretted not wearing a face mask and fear going down deeper into this mall will one day be my cancer origin story. But in the moment, I just sought the adventure.

This was actually one of the most fascinating things I experienced during my recent trip to China and offered such an unsanitized (figuratively and literally) glimpse into the development of China that no museum could match. With how quickly everything evolves in this country, I anticipate it won’t exist in the near future. I’m actually shocked it’s still around today.

There are very, very few images and background on this abandoned mall on the internet. Here it is, in all its glory, as of September 2026.

The abandoned, underground mall in Chengdu, China (©Deborah Clague).

Entrance shops at the abandoned, underground mall in Chengdu, China (©Deborah Clague). These shops are all that is left of this as of September 2026.

Entrance shops at the abandoned, underground mall in Chengdu, China (©Deborah Clague).

Entrance shops at the abandoned, underground mall in Chengdu, China (©Deborah Clague). This shop seemed to specialize in army fatigues and camouflage gear.

The abandoned, underground mall in Chengdu, China (©Deborah Clague). Well, hello kitty.

The abandoned, underground mall in Chengdu, China (©Deborah Clague). Going down another level.

The abandoned, underground mall in Chengdu, China (©Deborah Clague). Google Translate is telling me this says *“Dai Pai Niang reminds you: Cross-street passage. Please do not stay. Pass quickly.”*

Selfie at the abandoned, underground mall in Chengdu, China (©Deborah Clague).

While walking in Chengdu, I couldn’t believe I was there again. Twenty years ago, my father and I walked these same streets. It was a time before smartphones and personal GPS. A Lonely Planet guide was our bible and a physical English/Mandarin dictionary our most essential possession. We indulged in one night at the Crowne Plaza for a reset before the reality of our fiscal situation set in and we ended up at a $20/night hotel a few blocks away. There was a charm to the way we travelled that I haven’t lost today; wander and see what adventure unfolds. For my own midlife crisis trip though, frugality was out of the question.

I stayed at the Crowne Plaza again for the memory. Perhaps my father’s ghost would laugh at the absurdity of my return after the meltdown I had during our backpacking days or be impressed by his daughter traveling to the roof of the world to touch the stars. Regardless, the hotel was the perfect central location to explore anew. It looked the same, if a little dated. It was comfortable. I realize I could be talking about myself.

Most of the streets felt familiar but I was both shocked and impressed at how much Chengdu evolved in just two short decades. A robust metro system was constructed and opened in 2010. New developments filled with office towers and signs of residential wealth now increased the size of its perimeter. Luxury boutiques multipled. AI, robot cafés and 3D billboards were normalized. Even the pollution I could once taste on my lips was gone.

The speed at which China changes is unprecedented.

The walk to People’s Park was an adventure. Traffic did not change in China, although the sound of it did. One’s gait is forced to change when in this part of the world becoming more tense and stiff in anticipation of getting hit. It’s even scarier now that most vehicles are electric and you won’t even hear them coming. The worst has to be the Meituan delivery drivers hurriedly steering their silent motorbikes down the sidewalk mere inches from you in a race to meet their hourly quota. Your life for a timely and still warm bao.

People’s Park is the central meeting hub of Chengdu. With gardens of varied flora and a number of tea houses, it is a relaxing (and very popular) place to spend an afternoon. It even has a “marriage market”; families post their loved one’s stats and the type of person they are seeking and then meet up at the park to broker a match. I was most interested in revisiting a small theme park my father and I discovered years ago though. Even wanted to ride the archaic bumper cars we once watched in delight. But despite being listed as still there, I couldn’t find it. It shall remain a nostalgic mirage.

After wandering for a few hours, I returned to my hotel and planned the next day. It would end up being one of the most memorable and unique experiences of my trip.

Chengdu Side Quest: Exploring an abandoned, underground mall

The evolution of Chengdu