Site of 816 Project: Secret Military Project to Scenic Area

Site of 816 Project is located in Baitao Street, Fuling District, Chongqing, which is 20 kilometers from Fuling District and 80 kilometers from Chongqing. It is the largest and best-preserved underground nuclear facility site in China during the Cold War. It used to be a top secret military project in China, with the code name 816, and now it has become an open scenic area. In 1966, 816 Project was started to be built as a secret military project. And this project cost 17 years and over 60,000 persons participated in the work. In 1984, due to the adjustment of national strategy, the project was stopped.
 

Secret Military Project to Scenic Area

At the Beginning, 816 Project was started as a secret military project to develop China’s nuclear industry. As a top-secret underground nuclear military project in China, the 816 Project was designed according to the highest protection requirements of the military project at that time. It can resist the impact of 1 million tons equivalent hydrogen bomb explosion in the air and the direct hit attack of 1,000 pounds bomb, and can resist earthquakes of magnitude 8 or above. The 816 project is completely hidden in the mountains. There are holes in the holes, buildings in the holes and holes in the buildings. The largest cave in the cave is 79.6 meters high, with a total area of 13,000 square meters.
 

Due to the needs of national strategy, 816 Project was stopped. In 2010, part of 816 Project was opened to the public as an attraction.

Site of 816 Project in Chongqing
 

Story of 816 Project and its builders

During the 17 years’ establishment of the 816 Project, more than 60,000 people contributed themselves to this nuclear military project. At that time, Baitao Town once disappeared in the map of China. And the engineers, solders and other persons all worked and lived in the tough environment. Some people even lost their life. They could not tell their friends and families about what they were doing. And they spent all their time to the project. Even though this project had been stopped, each person who participated in this project is our hero. They contributed in the development and safety of our country.
 

Highlights of the 816 Project

Know about the secret military project: Due to the national strategy needs, 816 Project was put forward and started to be built.
 

A huge underground labyrinth: The main project of 816 Project is hidden in Jinzishan Mountain on the banks of Wujiang River, with a total construction area of 104,000 square meters, and the largest cavern is 79.6 meters high(equivalent to 20 floors). Visiting the Site of 816 Project, you will experience the unimaginable huge space and complex structure inside the mountain, and understand the hardships of manual excavation by engineers in those days.
 

Mark of the times: Visit the Chongqing 816 Project, you will know about the history of that time of China, when it is a period that a country is pursuing for development.
 

Significance of Peace: Though 816 Project was firstly built as a secret military project for the safety of China, Nuclear weapons are not equal to absolute security. No matter the establishing of 816 Project or the abandonment of 816 Project, it makes us to think of peace, peace of a country and peace of the world.

Site of 816 Project in Chongqing
 

Nearby Attraction

Baiheliang Underwater Museum(The White Crane Ridge Inscriptions Underwater Museum) is a fascinating underwater cultural site in Fuling District, Chongqing, China. It preserves the submerged Baiheliang(White Crane Ridge) inscriptions, which are the world’s oldest hydrological inscriptions, dating back over 1,200 years. These carvings record historical water levels of the Yangtze River and provide valuable insights into ancient flood control and climate changes. 

The White Crane Ridge Inscriptions Underwater Museum in Chongqing
 

How to Get to 816 Project

To get to the Site of 816 Project in Chongqing, you can take the high-speed train to Fuling Station or Fuling North Station(taking about 2 hours), then take the bus or taxi to the Site of 816 Project(taking about 1-2 hours).