Do you need to book Cao Cao Underground Operating Tunnels in advance?
No — Cao Cao Underground Operating Tunnels in Bozhou does not need an advance reservation. Buy at the gate or walk in, depending on whether the site charges at all. That makes it one of the sights you can leave to the day, which is worth knowing when the rest of a China itinerary has to be booked a week out.
Verified 2026-06-13 · rules change; confirm on the official channel before you travel
The booking rule, in detail
- Reservation
- Not required — you can turn up
- Foreign passport
- A foreign passport works as the real-name ID.
- Official channel
- None needed — pay at the gate or walk in.
How a foreign visitor actually books it
A walk-up gate ticket in normal periods; bring your passport as ID for real-name entry, which most Chinese sights now require. There is no reliable English-language online booking channel we could verify — the simplest path is to buy at the gate or have your hotel reserve through the site's Chinese-language WeChat/Alipay mini-program if a slot is needed on a busy day. The tunnels are narrow, low and damp, so they're not suitable for anyone with claustrophobia or mobility issues.
What else to know
We link no official booking page here — we could not verify a clean official ticketing domain for the tunnels — sales run through the gate, the site's Chinese-only mini-program, and OTAs, and we are not linking a reseller. This is Bozhou's signature sight: a brick-lined network of underground passages, traditionally attributed to the warlord Cao Cao — a native of Bozhou (ancient Qiao) and the de-facto ruler of the late Eastern Han — said to have been dug to move troops unseen beneath the old city. A restored stretch is open to walk; the rest runs under the modern streets. Price unverified, left null; confirm the current fare at the gate or when booking.
What to still watch for
No reservation does not mean no friction. Carry your passport — it is the ID checked wherever one is checked, and a photo of it is not accepted. Where there is a paid gate, expect the counter to want a domestic payment app rather than a card, which is worth setting up before you land. And anyone approaching you outside with tickets is selling something you do not need here — the sights that genuinely sell out are the ones with a reservation rule, listed in Reservation Radar.
Other Bozhou sights and their booking rules
- Hua Tuo Memorial Temple walk in
- Huaxi Lou / Flower Theatre walk in
- Kangmei Chinese Herb Market walk in
Full city context, hotels that register foreigners, and what to eat: Bozhou guide. Release times across every city we track are in Reservation Radar.