China built a city inside a mountain that defies logic EP. 3

I have just arrived the most confusing city in the world. Let me show you what I mean. This city guys have been going viral for its multi-level infrastructure. There's a train going into a building. Trains go through residential buildings with people living in it. They've built the deepest subway system in the world, not to break a world record, but because during World War II, when the city became the wartime capital of China, it was heavily bombed by Japan, forcing people to seek shelter inside the mountains. Rushed the construction of enormous caves as shelters for the people. So today they've built infrastructure inside those underground shelters. So many tunnels here in Chongqing. This is truly a city built underground. 116 meters deep subway, underground shopping malls, horizontal skyscrapers, streets that doesn't have ground level. It feels like I'm hallucinating. City way cars are parked here. Driving here is so complex. One wrong turn and you're two hours away from your destination. Roads are stacked upon each other, even the buildings. All of this confusion makes this city the most strangest city in the world. So stick around to the end as I explore the city to find out why it is so viral online. Welcome to Chongqing. More than 31 million people live in Chongqing, a city so huge it can be its own country. And I know for most of you watching, this might be the first time you're hearing about this city. Welcome to Chongqing. And this is just one of the many other huge cities within China. Chongqing is built on steep mountains with very flat land. Some places here would mess with your sense of direction. It almost seems like there is no ground level. Look at this place for instance. Now I want you guys to look around me. In a normal city, this is ground level, right? But now I want to show you something and why Chongqing is crazily confusing. If you look here, we are like two stories down. You have roads here, traffic lights and people walking. But if I walk in the opposite direction all the way to the end. Guys, and then we come to the other side. Look, look down here. Look down here. We're now on the 22nd floor. Multiple streets here and people's apartments. You turn around here guys, it is an ordinary square. Over there it is two-story and here it is 17th story guys. I'm literally confused. This confusion is why many visitors call Chongqing an 8D city. Because this city goes in every direction. Up, down, over, under and through buildings. Right behind me is a building. And as you can see, there's a rail that goes right through into the building and out. This is a monorail which means it runs on just one rail instead of two. Look, there's a train coming right now. There's a train coming. I'm going to show you guys. And look at this, the train actually passes through a 19-story apartment building. Because Chongqing is built on steep mountains, engineers had to find clever ways to fit everything into the city. The trains and the buildings were built separately. So when the train passes through, there's little noise or shaking. It is an architectural marvel here. So yes, people are literally living around the train tracks. And most of them barely notice when the train goes through. And now I want to experience this from inside, right? I got a train card for like $2. But this monorail is just one part of Chongqing's crazy transportation system. You need to see the roads here. I am standing in front of what I like to call the most complicated road interchange in Chongqing. It has five different levels with roads going in more than 15 directions. Good luck driving here because one wrong turn and you end up somewhere else. I asked my local driver and he said he passes an average of five tunnels, about 20 bridges and several flyovers driving throughout the day. He has been driving here for more than 20 years and still relies on GPS to navigate the city. The roads here are too complex. Even the way cars are parked here in China is different. To get your car out is pretty much simple. You can either type in your car number or you can use your facial recognition. Here, facial recognition. I put my face there. It already has my car number showing. All I need to do is to click it. Because of the huge population in China, a lot of people own vehicles. So how do you expect 30 plus million people to park their cars? So when you come here, you're going to be seeing people opening their mouth like this. And that explains one thing. They're trying to take a unique photo of eating the train. And this has become a huge tourist attraction here. This lady right here has an iPad. And what she's actually doing is she's selling a package where she's a local person. She knows how to take the right picture of you eating the train or catching the train. And that's exactly what all of these people guys are here to do. This same metro system that literally passes through a building also transports millions of people underneath the city. I'm going 40 stories underground to catch a train. Let's go. So you guys can see how deep underground this goes. Here in the underground city of Chongqing. This metro station is about 141 meters underground. This is the very first escalator. Escalator number two. All right, escalator number three, right? This is the third one now. Now we are going to escalator number five. And you can see the local people are using the stairs, guys. The Chinese people are so fit. Guys, we are officially in the deepest subway in the world, guys. I am in an equivalent of 39 stories, 39 stories underground. And as you can see, there's a whole livelihood that happens here. You can see people, the Chinese people, they are playing games. People just go about their business. We are on the ground right now. And see, look at this. What does it say? 716 steps. So it says if you're going to go up by the stairways, 716. This is truly the city that lives underground. Trust me. And there's a reason for this. While some are moving underground, some others are moving on top of the city. This city continues to amaze me. Guys, I'm about to take you to one of Chongqing's most unusual form of public transportation. It has been here since 1987, back when the city didn't have all of these crazy bridges and tunnels you see in this video. So before, people would have to find manual ways to cross this river, probably by canoe. It was much smaller. So this cable car was meant to automate that process or make it quicker because it only takes like four to five minutes to cross. You see, for years, locals actually used this as a normal way to cross from one side of the city to the other instead of sitting in traffic. You just hop into a cable car and fly straight across the river. So right now, it's being used by most tourists. Like you can look behind me, guys. There are most tourists now using this service and not even the local people anymore because now there are like so many bridges people can use to cross the Yangtze River. The more I explore Chongqing, the more I realize this city is basically built like one giant stack. Some parts go deep underground, others climb up the mountains and then you have buildings that seem to stretch sideways across the skyline. A horizontal skyscraper just like the one in Singapore. I kept seeing it from my hotel room and I wondered what happens in there. Like a horizontal skyscraper. I guess we have to go find out. So I made it to the top of the building. It is called Raffle City because this whole city is lined horizontally up in the clouds. There are literally cars below us, guys. This is one of the tallest buildings in Chongqing. This is all of the city of Chongqing right here, guys. I can see everything here. Literally everything. And we can even walk around. Here at the sky deck, we can walk around and see the entire city. When you look at all of this from the outside, you think this is just one giant skyscraper, guys. But it is not. It is called the Raffle City in Chongqing. It is a massive complex. And then you have this thing sitting across them. It is called the Crystal. It is about 300 meters long. And that's roughly the length of three football fields. Which is why people call it a horizontal skyscraper. We're not outside, guys. We're inside the Raffle City. And you can see so much greenery. It just reminds me of Singapore. And it feels like we're in a garden. I learned the architect who designed this is a Singaporean architect. So you can see there's a lot of similarities. There are a lot of things tourists come here to do. Like the skywalk. And I can see some people getting prepped up for something. I don't know what they're about to do right now. Like this. So you wear this thing and probably you go up. I was told I could also go on top of the horizontal structure. So let's give it a try. How cool is this? I love Chongqing. And this is the beautiful city of Chongqing right here, guys. I am on top of the famous Raffle City. A vertical skyscraper. And I'm just conveniently walking across it. Isn't that amazing? It's one of the most populated cities in the world. 30 plus million people live here. Look at the backdrop. Look at the backdrop, guys. And there's another reason Chongqing is so intense. The heat. The city sits inside a basin surrounded by mountains. With high humidity and very little wind. So in summer, the heat can get trapped here. And temperatures can climb above 40 degrees Celsius. Because Chongqing is super hot, you have huge vents like this around the city. I've gotten multiple sunburns here in Chongqing. But of course, guys, I'll do anything for you. That's why I want you guys to subscribe to the channel. That's the only way you can reward me for my hard work. Please, guys. You don't have to beg me for it. All around the city, you'd find cooling vents just like this one. A lot of locals cover their faces to avoid getting darker or sunburned. This is especially common among women. A fairer skin has traditionally been associated with beauty. And, in some social context, wealth and a life without our domino label. Guys, our next trip, guys, we're going to Saudi Arabia. Because this gentleman right here from Saudi Arabia gave me a fan. You can see how I'm sweating. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Nice to meet you. From the mountains to the skyscrapers, Chongqing's skyline is already impressive during the day. It gets better. I'm going to show you what the view looks like in 30 minutes when the sun completely goes down and nights take over. Guys, it's official. This is a city of sunset and endless views. And it's beautiful. But there's something different about the city when the sun goes down. Officially, the city of Chongqing has come alive, guys. It is the night time. The buildings light up, the bridges come alive, and suddenly the entire city looks like something out of a movie. And that is why people call it a cyberpunk city. Every day of the week, the lights are on. It's like, it's just part of your life. Look at the cable car. Yeah, it's so cool. It has lights on it. And it even gets more interesting than this. Look at this. Thousands of drones in the sky. It's so beautiful. Forming shapes and objects. A drone show here in Chongqing, guys. This is one of the many things Chongqing is known for. A true cyberpunk city. This is Hongya Cave in Chongqing. Ancient Chinese architecture stacked upon each other. It lights up beautifully at night. Lots of people here come to take pictures. Literally everyone, guys, everyone is here to take pictures of this ancient Chinese architecture here. See some of them. They're dressed like princesses from the Qing dynasty, ancient Han dynasty, and all of those old Chinese traditional clothings. This is the city of Chongqing after dark. This is a famous restaurant in Chongqing. Guys, right here, the city comes alive here, guys, in Chongqing. Look at this. This is beautiful. Oh my god, look at all of this. There are bubbles everywhere. Although I wasn't served hotpot, which is a popular food here, I had the opportunity to grill my own food while soaking in this beautiful view of the nighttime skyline of Chongqing. Guys, it's been a good time here in Chongqing, eating the local food, enjoying the view. Beautiful. Don't look at this, guys. You'll notice the bikes on the streets. Look, it is very famous here in Chongqing. Now, I want you to pay attention. Okay, pay attention. You're going to see all of these bikes, guys. They are power bikes. They move really fast here in Chongqing. Someone invented an idea to make videos of people on bikes, showing their night view of Chongqing. It got viral and now thousands of people pay about $80 to make videos like this. This is also a city of creativity, Chongqing. How would you recommend Chongqing for other people? Would you want other people to come to Chongqing? Oh, definitely. Do you find it confusing when you're in a car driving around? On a GPS, yes, it's very confusing because I guess we were booking a boat tour and we were somewhere else and we had to walk completely to a whole other destination to get there. So, yeah, I could see the confusion in it. Chongqing is called a HD city. But the more I explore, the more I realize that nightlife here isn't just about light. It's about the people, the food, the energy. I hope you enjoyed episode three of my China series. Subscribe to the channel and watch this video next.