It is inexplicable that this 17-year-long top-secret project, which has taken countless manpower and material resources, was halted when it was about to be completed. Has the plan completely lost its relevance? Are there other deeper causes? Is it simply because of the advent of the era of peace? As a wise leader, Deng Gong's decision must have had other meanings. Is there a good story behind this seemingly sudden decision? Let's find out.
The Birth of the Prairie Plan: A Helpless Move in a Crisis
In the 60s of the last century, the world situation was treacherous. The bipolar camps of the United States and the Soviet Union are facing each other, the Cold War competition is heating up, and the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation is increasing day by day. In this tense international environment, the continent has just acquired nuclear weapons, an emerging power, and is at a relative disadvantage. In order to ensure national security, the central leadership, after careful consideration, decided to implement a top-secret program, called "Project 816".
The aim of the plan is to build a world-class underground nuclear facility in a remote mountainous area for the production and processing of nuclear materials, injecting a steady stream of power into the nuclear arsenal. The policymakers believed that only by having sufficient nuclear weapons reserves could they confront the superpowers and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity in the tense situation at that time.
Around 1966, Premier Zhou Enlai was ordered by Chairman Mao to secretly launch this great project. At the beginning of the preparations, the central authorities personally selected the site and dispatched a secret reconnaissance team to the Fuling area of Chongqing to find the abandoned mountain area that met all conditions. The narrow area surrounded by mountains in Baitao Town was finally selected due to its unique geographical advantages such as high mountains and dense forests, blocked traffic, and abundant water sources.
The villages within a radius of dozens of miles of the project site were demolished by the government. In order to avoid leaking the news, the government has suggested to the local people to build a military chemical plant. At the same time, barbed wire fences were used around the construction site to erect camouflaged playgrounds, classrooms and other buildings to confuse the public.
The brewing of a great project: secrecy and hard excavation
During the secret investigation stage, geological engineering experts sent by the central government conducted a detailed investigation of the Fuling area in Chongqing. They found that the town of Baitao was surrounded by mountains, with verdant forests, stable geology, and abundant water sources, which met all the conditions for building an underground nuclear facility. At the same time, it is located in the hinterland of the interior, with closed traffic and a remote environment, which can avoid leaking secrets to the greatest extent.
After layers of evaluation and screening, Baitao Town was finally selected as the construction site of the "816 Project". However, the prospect of digging a super-large underground project deep in the mountains and old forests is extremely difficult. The project leadership team immediately began to implement various confidentiality measures to prevent the leakage of confidentiality.
First of all, the personnel review link, without exception, the personnel involved in the construction are fully subject to political review, not only to find out the political history of the family within three generations, but also to thoroughly find out the relationship network of relatives and friends.
Secondly, all participants sign an iron-fisted confidentiality agreement, and violators will be severely punished. According to recollections, even the families of the people involved in the construction did not know anything about the content of the project at that time. They only knew that their husbands or sons were going to work on a "national key project", but they did not know what the project was.
In order to confuse the eyes and ears of outsiders, the construction site of Baitao Town was strictly guarded and guarded. At the same time, some virtual scenes such as factories and schools were specially built as a cover to cover people's eyes. Whenever outsiders pass by, the construction will be temporarily suspended to show a normal mountain village scene.
The great "816 Project" was thus brewed in such a secret and cautious atmosphere. After the project was put into practice, more than 60,000 workers were put into the early stage, and this team was composed of young hard-working people from all over the country. They put down their studies and careers, and took the initiative to invite Ying to join the construction of this important weapon of the country.
Tens of thousands of young and vigorous workers dug the mountain with their bare hands, starting from a wilderness mine with nothing, and it took 14 years without stopping. They roared, using shovels, shovels, and explosives to clear mountains and rocks, dripping with sweat and tears, and built this incomparable engineering miracle with their lives.
The all-or-nothing gamble of the heroic builders
In the face of this arduous national heavy construction, the 60,000 young builders all have a sense of mission and responsibility. They resolutely left their hometowns, resigned from their families and friends, and devoted themselves to the construction of this top-secret project alone.
The average age of this young construction team is only in their early 20s, and most of them come from rural and urban areas across the country, some have just graduated from high school, and some have given up college to further their studies. In order to participate in the construction of this important weapon of the country, they took the initiative to ask for help, and regarded death as home.
Once you join the construction project, it means that you are completely cut off from the outside world, and all personnel are subject to the strictest control without exception. No one's whereabouts or work content will be revealed to the outside world. The family has no way of knowing, and the friends can only be trusted. As a result, this young team "disappeared" into the world in obscurity and became unsung heroes.
The mountains and rivers of Fuling in Chongqing are indeed a pure land, but even so, 60,000 builders still paid an extremely heavy price on this pure land. According to incomplete statistics, at least 76 builders have been buried forever in this hot land, with an average age of only 21 years old.
Many of them died in landslides or blasting accidents, while others died of malnutrition and overwork. Despite the heavy casualties, no one ever chose to back down. Whenever someone is martyred, the team spontaneously replenishes the personnel, and never relents.
Generations of young builders have fought alone and fought tenaciously in the midst of many hardships and dangers. They paved the way for this project with their own lives, and also poured the important weapons of the country with their blood. I don't know how many people have not been able to reunite with their relatives and friends in the end, and I don't know how many young lives have withered in this hot land.
Decision-making trade-offs: Rational choices under the call for peace
In the 80s, the world situation has undergone profound changes. Relations between China and the United States have gradually eased, and diplomatic relations between the two countries have been re-established. The Cold War pattern of confrontation between the Eastern and Western camps began to loosen. Against this background, Comrade Deng Xiaoping re-examined the necessity of the "816 Project."
At the time, the costly underground project was seen as a top priority in securing the country's nuclear forces. However, once completed, the annual cost of manpower and material resources for operation is also a heavy financial burden. More importantly, after the completion of the project, it will greatly stimulate the vigilance of the United States and other Western countries and exacerbate geopolitical tensions.
Comrade Deng Xiaoping prudently weighed the pros and cons of the project. Maintaining a peaceful and stable external environment is a top priority for the country, and the continuation of the project will inevitably arouse suspicion from the outside world and intensify contradictions and confrontations. China was not strong enough to deal with this risk.
At the same time, reform and opening up are in full swing, and there is an urgent need for a large amount of capital and manpower to be invested in economic construction. Due to the huge scale of the "816 Project", the annual operating costs will become a heavy financial burden. For the sake of the country's long-term peace and stability, rationally reducing military spending is also an unavoidable and realistic demand.
After careful consideration, Deng Xiaoping finally made the decision to prevent the continuation of the "816 Project". This decision is undoubtedly a painful decision, and at the same time, it is also a far-sighted strategic choice. He took into account the overall situation, eliminating major external security risks and freeing up more resources for national construction and development.
In order to accomplish this difficult decision, Deng Xiaoping embarked on an intensive mobilization. He first approached the leadership of the Ministry of Defense Industry and personally explained the reasons for the decision. Then, a decision document was submitted directly to the leading group of the "816 Project". Since the project was highly confidential and had always been a "pocket project" personally handled, Deng Xiaoping's final decision naturally had the highest authority.
Although the project was suspended, Comrade Deng Xiaoping's actions demonstrated wise political leadership. He coordinated the situation and made the right choice at the critical moment, opening up a new space for the country's long-term peace and stability. This choice demonstrates the farsightedness and far-sightedness of China's leaders.
The righteousness of retiring after success: where are the achievements of the past?
Although the "816 Project" was forced to stop due to the changes of the times, it has written a strong stroke in the development of the country's nuclear weapons industry. The significance of this great project is not only reflected in the huge scale of the project itself, but more importantly, it embodies the wisdom and sweat of generations of builders.
Starting from a poor and a blank slate, it is no easy task to explore and select a site in a barren area of mountains and rivers to carve out a world-class underground nuclear facility. It can be said that China has built up its own nuclear forces from scratch, relying on the tenacious struggle of these unknown builders.
What is even more valuable is that countless young lives have been laid to rest in the mountains and rivers of Baitao in this way, holding up the dignity of the motherland's nuclear weapons with their blood and lives. They have no complaints or regrets, regard death as home, and write the spirit of contemporary Yugong with their actions. Today's era of peace is the result of the lives and struggles of these heroic martyrs.
The "816 Project" is magnificent, but what is more precious than it is probably the heroic fire it exudes. From the enthusiastic participation of hundreds of millions of farmers, to the initiative of young students to ask for help, to the hard work and dedication of the builders who regard death as home, all show a spirit of heroism. This noble spirit is precisely the fundamental driving force for New China to take root all the way.
With the construction suspended, a large number of builders eventually left Baitao Town. But those eventful years will surely become the most precious experience and memory of their lives. In the future, they will contribute to the development and construction of the country as pioneers.
Entering a new era, China has gradually embarked on the path of peaceful development. Although there is no need to directly use nuclear forces such as the "816 Project" for the time being, the peacetime that has been exchanged for this huge sacrifice is the biggest gain at present. With a peaceful and stable external environment, China has been able to concentrate all its energies on economic construction and embark on the road of sustained national development.
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In the face of the new situation, China will uphold the concept of peacebuilding and promote development, and contribute more positive energy to peace and progress of mankind. The "816 Project" will forever be remembered on the monument of national history and become a spiritual force to inspire future generations.