Former film park finds novel new direction

CHONGQING — Two years ago, Bon Scott was not that into his wife’s idea of opening a cafe bar in her faraway home in Chongqing municipality. For the 31-year-old Serbian, the perfect location should have advantages in terms of both rent and style, but during a trip to the city, he changed his mind.

Their bar began life as an infirmary attached to a printing house built in the last century. It was an underground chamber inside what is now an industrial heritage complex.

“The first time I saw it, the word ‘dungeon’ popped into my mind. I figured opening a bar there would be interesting and cool,” Scott said.

The couple soon rented the place from its owner, the Yichang Film Park. For them, the park’s surroundings hint at its own eventful history of peace and nostalgia, with abandoned air-raid shelters and the Yangtze River flowing past, creating a serene vibe.

In October 2020, the couple opened their cafe bar. Of course, it’s called Dungeon. “So many customers love our style, which wins us a lot of recognition. Also, I’m a musician, and the basement also offers a perfect environment to practice with my band,” Scott added.

The industrial complex has also attracted other entrepreneurs, who have set up shop in its old buildings.

Due to dwindling demands for filming during the pandemic, the park began to turn its idle buildings into an entrepreneurship center for startups and novel businesses in 2020, according to Wen Hanbing, manager of the park.

“At the time, we foresaw that tourism and the film industry would soon suffer due to the pandemic, so we changed our operational direction to attract companies that are new, innovation-oriented and energetic,” Wen explained.

With convenient working conditions, relatively low rents and a favorable business environment, the park soon became a magnet for startups.

So far, more than 30 companies have settled in, including fashion brands, hotels, restaurants and companies involved in creative advertising and livestream brokerage, as well as novel forms of entertainment like escape rooms.