The Whispering Pillar of Yan'an Elevated Road: Shanghai's Best-Kept Secret

Beneath the shimmering skyline of modern Shanghai lies a story the city doesn’t want you to know—a tale of ancient forces, whispered curses, and a mysterious pillar that defies logic. Locals call it Long Zhu, the Dragon Pillar. Officials dismiss it as a myth. But those who’ve worked near it… they know.

The Curse of the Unbreakable Ground

In 1995, construction began on the Yan’an Elevated Road, a critical artery to ease Shanghai’s growing traffic chaos. But when workers tried to drill foundations near the Chengdu Road intersection, the earth fought back. Machinery snapped. Concrete cracked. Workers swore they heard an eldritch moan rising from the soil—a sound like a wounded beast.

Rumors spread. Older laborers muttered about disturbing the dragon’s vein, a fatal offense in traditional Chinese geomancy. Engineers scoffed, yet progress stalled. Deadlines loomed. Pressure mounted.

Then, the government made a call.

The Midnight Visitor

One fog-drenched night, witnesses claim a frail Buddhist monk in saffron robes arrived at the site. He circled the cursed plot, chanting sutras, his voice blending with the hum of distant traffic. By dawn, he was gone.

But the next day, workers found something new: a colossal steel pillar, wrapped in roaring dragons cast in bronze, now anchoring the intersection. No blueprints explained it. No meetings approved its design. Yet construction resumed smoothly, as if the earth itself had surrendered.

The monk was never seen again. Some say he paid a price—that his rituals angered the old gods. Others insist he collapsed on-site, his soul binding the pillar to quiet the dragon’s wrath. The government erased all records.

The Pillar That Shouldn’t Exist

Today, the Dragon Pillar stands defiantly at the heart of Yan’an Road, its nine coiling serpents glinting under neon lights. Tourists snap photos, unaware of its dark legacy. But anomalies persist:

Drivers report sudden chills when passing it, even in summer.
Maintenance crews refuse to touch the pillar after sundown.
In 2008, a journalist investigating the legend vanished. His notes? “They buried something alive here.”
The most chilling detail? No official maps or infrastructure documents acknowledge the pillar’s existence. It’s as if the city itself is hiding a secret—or a sin.

Is the Dragon Still Asleep?

Skeptics claim the tale is urban fantasy—a mishmash of feng shui superstition and engineering mishaps. But old-timers in Shanghai’s backstreets warn: Dragons never forget. They say the pillar’s dragons are not decorations… but shackles.

And on quiet nights, when the traffic fades, some swear they hear a low, rumbling growl beneath the asphalt—a sound that isn’t human.

Truth or tale? You decide. But if you visit Yan’an Road, don’t stare too long at the dragons. They might just stare back.