Preface
On October 24, 1965, Premier Zhou, who was working at his desk at his desk, suddenly received a call from Chairman Mao. During the call, Chairman Mao only asked him to come over to discuss the important matters, but did not mention anything to say. In the past, no matter what we wanted to discuss, Chairman Mao would always reveal some information on the phone, but this time it was very abnormal. Premier Zhou gradually realized that what he wanted to discuss this time was a very serious matter.
Not long after, Premier Zhou hurried to Zhongnanhai . After entering the office, Chairman Mao waved his hand and asked the guards and secretary around him to leave, leaving only him and Premier Zhou.
About half an hour later, Premier Zhou pushed open the door and walked out with a calm look on his face. No one knew what they were talking about, and no one knew whether they were talking about private matters or official matters.
However, a few days later, a small town in the southwest region and 60,000 people disappeared into the records at that time. Later, people gradually realized that this was related to what Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou had negotiated.
Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou had a secret conversation for half an hour. What major matters did they talk about? Is people’s guess correct? Why did the small towns and 60,000 people in the southwest suddenly disappear this year? What is hidden in this? What exactly happened?
New China was threatened by nuclear . Chairman Mao ordered his own atomic bomb
On August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States threw an atomic bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The buildings were destroyed, a large number of civilians and soldiers were killed and killed, the sea of fire and thick smoke enveloped the entire city. The explosion site was simply the end of the world .
After the news came out, the world was shocked. The United States did not suffer any casualties from one soldier, which caused a devastating blow to Japan. For a time, people were crazy about the great charm of the power of the atomic bomb.
A few days later, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. There is no doubt that the United States' behavior of throwing atomic bombs in Japan accelerated the process of Japan's surrender to . With Japan officially accepting the " Potsdam Announcement " and announcing unconditional surrender, the second World War ended with the just victory of the anti-fascist alliance .
The battlefields of World War II were mainly in Europe and Asia. Therefore, after the end of World War II , many countries in Europe and Asia were in chaos and riddled with holes under the bombing of years of artillery fire, while the United States was intact. At the same time, the United States also took advantage of the urgent need for recovery from the post-war countries to provide these countries with a large amount of conditional assistance, allowing the United States to make a fortune.
Under the huge deterrence effect of the atomic bomb, the United States is "dominant" in the world. Except for the Soviet Union, no country dares to clamor against it. During this period, in any international affairs, people are afraid of nuclear talk, and the atomic bomb's mushroom cloud has always been shrouded in people's hearts.
1949, after careful research on the information obtained from Germany and its own efforts, the Soviet Union also successfully exploded its own atomic bomb. thus broke the United States' nuclear monopoly, and the Soviet Union had weapons that could compete with the United States.
With the formation of the world's bipolar pattern, the United States and the Soviet Union continued to develop nuclear weapons in a crazy way and launched a nuclear competition. At the same time, other powerful countries also attached great importance to the development of nuclear weapons and supported the development of their own nuclear weapons.
In this international environment, if the newly established New China does not have its own atomic bomb, it will probably be difficult for it to gain a foothold in the international community. , especially during the 1950 Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in the war, the United States repeatedly threatened China, clamoring to use atomic bombs against China.
At that time, due to interference from other countries such as the Soviet Union and being under international public opinion, the United States eventually gave up throwing an atomic bomb at China. After the victory of the Korean War, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has a deeper understanding of the importance of possessing an atomic bomb.
In fact, as early as December 16, 1949 to February 17, 1950, when Chairman Mao met with Stalin during his first visit to the Soviet Union, Chairman Mao proposed the idea of hoping that the Soviet Union could help China develop an atomic bomb. At the same time, the Soviet Union also played a video of the first atomic bomb that the Soviet Union had just successfully tested on August 29 of that year.
Perhaps it was the video that brought Chairman Mao a deep shock. On the way back to China, Chairman Mao became more determined to China's idea of developing its own nuclear weapons. He said to the staff around him:
"This time I went to the Soviet Union, it's an eye-opener! It seems that the atomic bomb can scare many people. The United States has it and the Soviet Union has it, so we can do something."
But developing nuclear weapons is a huge project. If you want to complete it independently, it is almost impossible for the newly established New China.
In June 1952, China once again made a request to the Soviet side, hoping that the Soviet side could provide assistance to China in developing nuclear weapons, but was rejected again, and China was temporarily forced to give up the idea of developing an atomic bomb.
During the Korean War, the United States often threatened to use nuclear weapons, so that Chairman Mao realized that if you want to avoid nuclear threats, you must first have nuclear weapons. He once said : "In today's world, if we do not be bullied by others, we cannot do without this thing (atomic bomb)."
Therefore, during the visit of Soviet leader Khrushchev in 1954, Chairman Mao reiterated his old story, hoping that the Soviet Union would provide assistance to China's atomic bomb cause. Chairman Mao said:
"We are interested in atomic energy and nuclear weapons. Today I want to discuss with you, and I hope you will help us in this regard and make some achievements. In short, we also want to develop this industry."
Although the Soviet Union still rejected this request, Khrushchev also let go. decided to help China build a small atomic recharge and agreed to the request of Chinese personnel to come to the Soviet Union to learn related technologies.
On January 15, 1955, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China officially made the decision to develop the atomic energy cause and develop the atomic bomb. From then on, China's atomic bomb research and development underway. In the following years, the Party Central Committee led by Chairman Mao had a deeper and more advanced understanding of our country's national defense. In 1958, at the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, Chairman Mao pointed out:
"I still hope to build a little navy and air force to make it stronger. There is also that atomic bomb. I heard that such a big thing is not that thing, and people will say you don't count. So good, let's do it. I have a little bit of atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb , what kind of intercontinental missiles, I think it's entirely possible to build a little bit of atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, , and intercontinental missiles. I think it's completely possible to build a lot of atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, , and intercontinental missiles. I think it's okay to have ten years of hard work. . On the basis of the development of my country's modern industry, modern agriculture, modern science and culture, the construction of national defense forces must not only make active defense war preparations, but also prepare for once imperialism launches an aggressive war on us, after defeating the enemy's attack, implement strategic counterattack and strategic pursuit to drive the invaders out. "
1959, Sino-Soviet relations deteriorated, the Soviet Union withdrew all experts overnight and took away all drawings. China's atomic bomb research completely fell into a trough, the two nuclear-capable countries of the United States and the Soviet Union were eyeing China, and all China's actions were under tremendous pressure.
The idea of relying on its own strength to develop nuclear weapons is unprecedentedly strong. Chen Yi Marshal once said angrily: "Even if we use pants, we have to get out the atomic bomb."
After experiencing international turmoil and various setbacks in actual work, China successfully tried the first atomic bomb in Lop Nur, Xinjiang in 1964. When the huge mushroom cloud rose into the air, countless scientific researchers were so excited that they burst into tears. The news of was sent back to Zhongnanhai. The central leaders repeatedly asked the communication personnel to confirm whether the news was accurate. When the official releases relevant reports, countless people cheered and warmly celebrated that China had its own atomic bomb and was no longer controlled by others.
China has become a nuclear-owned country, completely breaking the nuclear monopoly and nuclear threats between the United States and the Soviet Union, laying the foundation for the creation of China's foundation for the next century, and making Chairman Mao's idea of "building some atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, and intercontinental missiles within ten years" a reality.
History has proved that developing the atomic bomb industry is a visionary and bold strategic decision, which is of great significance to China's national defense science and technology industry and national defense modernization construction.
New China breaks the nuclear monopoly and prepares for the construction of 816 underground nuclear project
After China develops its own atomic bomb, a new problem follows. Although China has developed its own nuclear weapons, it still has a big gap with the relatively mature nuclear technology of the United States and the Soviet Union. In the international context of the Cold War at that time, the United States and the Soviet Union wanted to destroy the Chinese nuclear weapons that had just made progress.
From 1959 to 1962, the United States often sent reconnaissance aircraft to carry out reconnaissance missions on China, and almost analyzed the location where my country secretly developed atomic bombs. The Soviet Union also clamored to destroy all China's nuclear weapons within an hour.
In order to protect China's nuclear power, Chairman Mao decided to continue to improve the capacity of nuclear strikes on , and to build nuclear defense and build an underground nuclear Great Wall.
On October 1965, Chairman Mao called Premier Zhou to have a secret talk. Premier Zhou realized that what he wanted to talk about was not simple, so he poured tea for the two of them and waited quietly for Chairman Mao to speak.
Chairman Mao sat on the sofa, took a deep breath of cigarettes, and said straight to the point: "Although our atomic bomb has been successfully studied, the development of the nuclear industry is very slow. In order to prevent threats from the United States and the Soviet Union, we should have an underground nuclear Great Wall with the ability to withstand nuclear strikes."
Premier Zhou has the same view as Chairman Mao, and agrees with this. He said: " Our nuclear industry must never stop at the atomic bomb. The Chairman's decision is wise. This nuclear Great Wall must be hidden enough to escape the reconnaissance of the United States and the Soviet Union." The content of Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou's conversation this time is the source of the 816 project. After
confirmed that this plan was feasible, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China began to formulate a construction plan for the 816 project. First of all, it is the issue of site selection. The construction of the nuclear Great Wall is to safeguard national security. Therefore, there are strict requirements in terms of concealment, firmness and space. Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou proposed the three-character principle of "mountain, scattered and hidden", that is, backing, scattered and hidden.
In fact, in the 1950s, China had built several nuclear factories, but these were built in suburbs or desolate open areas. At that time, they were chosen to do so, on the one hand, to avoid affecting the lives of the people, and on the other hand, for economic reasons, nuclear factories cover a large area and there are many deserts in the northwest, which is just right. Therefore, when looking for an address for the construction of the 816 project in 1965, I used this idea to refer to it.
According to these requirements, the expert team engaged in nuclear industry research set their targets in the southwest region. So they went deep into the southwest region to conduct field exploration. finally chose Baitao Town in Fuling, Chongqing. Behind this southwest town is Wuling Mountain . The mountains are high and dense forests are very hidden. If you don’t look carefully, you can’t find at all.
was chosen in Baitao Town. First, because the area is at the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, backed by Wuling Mountain. With the mountains as a cover, the concealment is guaranteed. In addition, the mountain here is huge, which not only meets the requirements of nuclear factories for large space, but also can withstand the attack of hydrogen bombs. Second, here is close to Wujiang , and there is sufficient water source. Whether it is people's lives or industrial development, it is inseparable from water sources. In particular, nuclear reactor requires a lot of water to dilute.
has been thinking about it, and there is no place that is more suitable than here.
In 1966, Premier Zhou signed a top-secret document, stating the plan to build an underground nuclear Great Wall in Baitao Town, Fuling, Chongqing. In order to keep it confidential, the plan is uniformly called "state-run new chemical machinery factory" , and dispatched troops code-named 8342 to be responsible for alert and construction. Scientific researchers and technical workers from universities from all over the country came here to build the project.
This project covers an area of about 104,000 square meters, and more than 60,000 people have been put into construction. They strictly abide by the confidentiality rules. Parents, wife and children do not know what they are doing. There are slogans with the words "Military forbidden area, strictly prohibited entry" posted around the construction area. Baitao Town disappeared from the map since then.
If these 60,000 people want to go home to visit their relatives, they need to apply through layers of applications and sign the confidentiality agreement . However, for the sake of national construction, almost no one has left in time. Since they came here, they have been missing and devoted themselves to the construction of the 816 Project, bleeding and tears, but they have never complained. The construction of the entire project consumed a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources. It has gone through four stages: emergency construction, slow construction, suspension of construction and conversion of . It took nearly 8 years to install the large holes inside the mountain alone, and it took 9 years to install related equipment. During the entire project, the total amount of funds consumed in the total amount reached 746 million yuan.
At that time, the purpose of building this nuclear factory was to use it as the rear base for to produce atomic bombs. is in a cave dug by artificially, with a depth of more than 400 meters, and the thickness of the top layer can be 200 meters. Under such a solid mountain protection, this underground nuclear factory can almost withstand hydrogen bomb bombing or even magnitude 8 earthquakes.
According to Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou's vision, after the 816 project is completed, the total length of this underground nuclear Great Wall can reach more than 5,000 miles. In addition to being a rear base for producing atomic bombs, it can also store a large amount of materials and weapons and equipment, and even in wartime, it can launch a counterattack quickly. Behind the project
816 is the mission and passion of a generation. From the approval of the construction of the 816 military industry cave in 1966 to the national strategic adjustment in 1984, more than 60,000 people worked hard to dig out 18 large cave rooms. In some small caves, soldiers often died by sudden landslides. Behind the construction of the
816 project is the mission and passion of a generation. In order to safeguard the security of the country, they have to complete the construction task with all their lives. During the urgent construction period, the soldiers raced against time, digging caves, and never stopped. 76 officers and soldiers died here one after another.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the international situation had undergone major changes. The Party Central Committee made new judgments based on the new situation and began to seek a peaceful international environment for China's modernization construction.
On January 1, 1979, China and the United States officially established diplomatic relations, and the bilateral relations entered a new historical period. The Soviet Union was also unable to take care of itself because it was deeply trapped in the battlefield in Afghanistan. At this time, China's external environment was relatively peaceful, and the United States and the Soviet Union no longer pose a threat to China. More importantly, China's comprehensive strength and international influence have made a qualitative leap.
Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out that "peace and development will be the theme of the future international community" . Based on this judgment, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued an order to slow down the construction of the 816 project.
By June 1984, the global situation had basically stabilized, peace and development became the mainstream of the world, and China's national construction also moved to the economic side. Therefore, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China officially stopped the construction of the 816 project.
At this time, the 17-year-old 816 project has become 85% of the construction and 60% of the installation project. However, with the development of the international situation, this underground nuclear Great Wall can only be completely closed, and its secrets are completely hidden in the mountains. Local people only know that there was an 816 plan, but they don’t know what it is and where it is. It seems that it is gradually being forgotten by people.
But it is undeniable that, whether in China or looking around the world, the 816 project has always been a unique and shocking great project.
On April 8, 2002, the Ministry of National Defense agreed to decrypt the 816 project, and the underground nuclear Great Wall finally unveiled the veil of mystery.
Many soldiers' families found near the project and entered the martyrs' cemetery set up by the country for the sacrificed soldiers. Seeing the family members who had not heard of for decades turned into a cold name on the tombstone, they couldn't help but burst into tears. Even the soldiers who had participated in the construction of the 816 project sighed: "I never expected that the 816 underground project would be decrypted for one day. I want to go back and sweep the graves for those old comrades."
In April 2010, some areas of the 816 project were opened to the public and became a tourism project. When tourists entered here, was amazed at the decades of dedication and sacrifice of the soldiers at that time. They used their youth to build China's Great Wall of Steel.
Today, China has ranked among the forefront of the world, its military strength reaches the world's first-class level, and its influence on the international stage is becoming increasingly greater. Those heroes who once sacrificed their lives for the country will always be left in the history of the Republic and the hearts of the people.
