* Astronomy

THE rest of the world hums with word of the rise of China and its increasing military might. China, however, is clearly concerned about its defences.

In the modern metropolis of Shanghai, construction has been completed on an underground bunker that can accommodate up to 200,000 people.

Its builders could have had the words of Chairman Mao in mind. At the height of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, he said: “Dig deep tunnels, store piles of grain. Prepare for war, prepare food for the people.”

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