816 Nuclear Military Plant

The 816 Underground Nuclear Project, also known as Project 816, was a major defense project secretly constructed by China in the 1960s in response to a tense international situation. The project is located in Baitao Street, Fuling District, Chongqing Municipality, close to the Wujiang River and with the Wuling Mountains at its back. The project was approved for construction by the Central Military Commission and Premier Zhou Enlai in 1966, and officially started in 1967, with a total investment of 746 million RMB, and more than 60,000 officers and soldiers of the engineering unit have participated in the construction. After four stages of urgent construction, slow construction, suspension of construction and transfer of production, the project was suspended in 1984 due to national strategic adjustment, and in 2002, the National Defense Science and Industry Commission (NDSTIC) agreed to declassify the 816 Project and open it to the public.

The 816 Underground Nuclear Project is the largest known artificial cave complex in the world, and the only scenic spot in China that combines the background of the construction of the Third Front, the concept of underground nuclear military industry, and the shocking artificial cave in one.

The project covers an area of 104,000 square meters, with an axial superimposed length of more than 21 kilometers, and the cave is warm in winter and cool in summer, with constant temperature in all seasons. The project has 9 floors, with the main cavern room as high as 79.6 meters, the vault spanning 31.2 meters, and the upper and lower 3-story dry and branch cavern system, with 18 large cavern rooms, and more than 130 roads, guiding caves, branch caves, tunnels and shafts inside the cavern. The main attractions are 104 nuclear power plant, No. 9 water diversion hole, etc. The architectural layout is like a labyrinth with a huge volume.

Combining history, engineering, and geopolitics, the 816 Nuclear Military Plant presents an original and provocative experience. For history buffs, engineers, and everyone fascinated by the secrets of the Cold War, this is an unmatched site. For visitors visiting the Chongqing area, the scope and ambition of the project will surely create a lasting impression and make the location must-visited.