Remember: The construction and guarding force of China's first nuclear weapons research and development base
2024-08-26
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Engineers at the construction site use hammers to smash rocks. Photo provided by former soldiers of the 8342nd Unit
The roadbed construction site of the base. Provided by the former 221st Factory staff
Engineers build roads at the base. Photo provided by former soldiers of the 8342nd Unit
PLA soldiers stand guard at the No. 5 outpost of the 221 base. Photo provided by former 221 base staff
The PLA soldiers stationed at the base patrol on foot. Provided by former 221 base staffMa Qingfang
In the 1950s, faced with U.S. nuclear blackmail and threats, Chairman Mao Zedong and other first-generation leaders of the Party and the country, unafraid of power and assessing the situation, resolutely made the strategic decision to develop my country's nuclear weapons program.
In July 1958, China's first nuclear weapons research, testing and production base (221 Base) was established on the Jinyintan Grassland in Haiyan County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. In October, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of Public Security and relevant ministries and commissions listed the 221 Base as a top-secret confidentiality unit. In July 1962, an area of 1,137 square kilometers from Hongshanzui in Haiyan County to the west was designated as a military restricted area. The special nature, special tasks and special environment require the base to have the most stringent security system and confidentiality discipline. From then on, a group of secret construction and guarding forces were born. At the 221 Base, there were 2 construction forces and 7 guard forces. They secretly carried out construction and guarding tasks for the development of the "two bombs", and silently guarded the safety of the base...
Fighting hard on the Qinghai Plateau, constructing the "two bombs" research and development base
The first unit to build the base was the 10th Railway Division of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (10th Railway Division). In November 1953, the 10th Railway Engineering Division of the Volunteer Army arrived in Xianyang, Shaanxi Province from North Korea after seven days and nights, and was reorganized into the 10th Railway Division of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In December 1962, the 10th Railway Division mobilized 998 officers and soldiers of the 46th Regiment from Shandan Military Horse Farm in Gansu Province to Huangyuan and Haiyan counties in Qinghai Province to undertake the construction of the dedicated line of the 221 base. In March 1963, some officers and soldiers of the 46th and 48th Regiments of the 10th Railway Division went to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway again to undertake the construction of the main line from Haiyan to Ketu section of the first phase of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Haihu branch line.
Soldiers of the 10th Railway Division overcame the difficulties of hard life and poor construction conditions in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and completed 14 plant branch lines, 4 stations, locomotive depot projects, and 22.74 kilometers of track laying for the 221 base. They provided a solid guarantee for ensuring smooth transportation at the base and the completion of various scientific research tasks.
The second unit to build the base was the 8342th Unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In April 1958, the Central Military Commission decided to establish a special unit for the construction of the "two bombs" test base, namely the "Engineering Corps Special Engineering Command". This unit was formed based on the personnel of the 19th Corps of the Volunteer Army, the Volunteer Army Engineering Command, and the Logistics Department who had just returned from North Korea. As soon as the unit was established, it went to the northwest to engage in special engineering, and successively participated in the construction tasks of the Qinghai 221 Base, Xinjiang Malan Base, Gansu Dongfeng Base, etc.
In April 1961, with the approval of the Central Military Commission, the Special Forces Engineering Command selected some personnel to form the 54th Engineering Construction Division (comprising 7 regiments including the 101st Regiment), which was responsible for the unified organization and management of all nuclear research base construction projects in the northwest region. Among them, the 101st Regiment entered Jinyintan as the vanguard at the end of 1959. Their main tasks were road construction, tunnel construction and other base construction tasks; the 103rd Regiment went from Yumen, Gansu to Haiyan County in August 1963, and was responsible for the construction of the Tongbaoshan artillery position, the eastern road of the factory area, and the underground tunnel project.
The 10th Company of the 103rd Regiment is a company with a glorious tradition. During the war years, it fought across most of China and made great contributions to the liberation of the motherland. In peacetime, it never took off its saddles or armor and fought against the elements, built roads and bridges for the national defense construction of New China. It was awarded the glorious title of "10th Company of Engineering Corps on the Snowy Plateau" by the Central Military Commission.
According to Song Tongtai, deputy instructor of the 10th Company who participated in the construction of Tongbaoshan Highway, at that time, the construction conditions were simple, there was no large machinery, and the road construction project was entirely manual. The construction site was all hard rock mountains, which made the construction difficult. In October, the temperature on Tongbaoshan Mountain dropped to more than 30 degrees below zero Celsius, and it was all frozen. The mountain road was difficult to travel. It took more than an hour for a car to drive halfway up the mountain for a short 20 kilometers. Since the car could not go up, the soldiers climbed up step by step with a tent weighing more than 100 kilograms on their backs, and reached the top of the mountain at 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. Then they set up the tent overnight and did not rest until after 2 o'clock in the morning. During the more than two months of construction of Tongbaoshan Highway, it was cold and snowy all year round. The ground could not be dug with a shovel or a stone pickaxe. A pickaxe could only dig out a small pit. Often, the soldiers' hands were numb and unable to move. Some people had blisters and bleeding hands, but they still used steel drills and sledgehammers to drill holes and blast. The soldiers drank water melted from ice and snow and ate half-cooked rice and steamed buns on the mountain, which made their stomachs bloated and uncomfortable. The cook solved the problem of eating half-cooked rice by making pancakes.
Guard the base and be a silent guardian for earth-shaking events
The first unit to guard the base was the 0971 unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. At the beginning of the preparation for the construction of the base, the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission decided to form the 221 Base Guard Regiment (codenamed "0971 Unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army"). The main task is to fully isolate the scientific research and production areas such as the base's design department, experimental department, production department, general department and important workshops, and implement first-level guards and three-level guards for protection.
In 1982, the Chinese People's Armed Police Force was established, and this unit was transferred to the armed police. In March 2019, it was changed to a duty detachment and has been guarding the 404 factory ever since.
The second unit guarding the base, the Chinese People's Liberation Army 8100 Unit, was established under a special historical background. In 1968, the unit was transferred to the 221 base, responsible for the guard, escort, and training of the base's main factory and its branches. In 1976, the unit moved to the Helan Mountain area in Ningxia to perform a new mission, ending its work guarding the base.
The third unit guarding the base was the Lanzhou Air Force Anti-aircraft Artillery Division. In April 1965, the Shenyang Military Region Air Force established the Anti-aircraft Artillery 12th Division Headquarters and the 34th Regiment in Heishan, Liaoning, equipped with 85mm and 100mm anti-aircraft guns. In May, the division headquarters and the 34th Regiment went to Haiyan, Qinghai, to perform the air defense mission of the base. In March 1966, the 35th and 36th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiments formed in Anshan went to Haiyan County in April. So far, the 34th, 35th and 36th Anti-aircraft Artillery 12th Division jointly performed the air defense mission of the base.
In April 1965, the Guangzhou Military Region Air Force established the 13th Anti-aircraft Artillery Division Headquarters and the 37th Regiment in Huaxian County, Guangdong. In March 1966, the Guangzhou Military Region Air Force established the 38th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment in Guangzhou; in March 1966, the 9th and 10th Anti-aircraft Artillery Divisions established the 39th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment in Liuzhou, Guangxi. In January 1968, the 13th Anti-aircraft Artillery Division (37th, 38th and 39th Regiments) were transferred from Lanzhou to Haiyan County, Qinghai, replacing the 12th Anti-aircraft Artillery Division and taking on the task of base air defense operations.
In March 1964, the 101st Air Force Anti-aircraft Artillery Division was renamed the 1st Air Force Anti-aircraft Artillery Division, which was composed of the 502nd, 505th and 507th Regiments. In October 1973, the 1st Anti-aircraft Artillery Division was ordered to be transferred from Lanzhou to Haiyan District, Qinghai Province (affiliated to the Lanzhou Military Region Air Force) to replace the 13th Anti-aircraft Artillery Division to perform the air defense mission of the 221 Base. The troops were stationed on the tops of Ketu Mountain, Yindeng Mountain, Wugu Mountain and other mountains centered on Tongbao Mountain to jointly protect the safety of the base.
The 12th, 13th and 1st Air Force Anti-aircraft Artillery Divisions stationed in Tongbaoshan are the highest-altitude anti-aircraft artillery divisions stationed in the entire army. Due to the special security mission, the various units are frequently rotated and the conditions are extremely difficult. However, the soldiers are not afraid of the severe cold or hardships, and they stick to their posts to defend the safety of the base.
Liu Ailian, a worker of the 221 Factory's Art and Propaganda Team, recalled: "When we went to the Tongbaoshan Anti-aircraft Artillery Division to perform, we saw that the military camp was a semi-sheltered building with very simple facilities. The soldiers wore thick cotton clothes and trained and guarded in a strong ultraviolet environment. Their faces were tanned and their hands were frozen purple. When they saw us, they smiled happily. Every time we had a meal in the camp after a performance, the soldiers were very enthusiastic and took out the peanut candies that they had saved for many years and were reluctant to eat. There were no fruits and vegetables on the mountain, so the soldiers used vermicelli and meat stew to entertain us performers."
The fourth unit guarding the base is the Air Force Second Anti-aircraft Artillery Independent Eighth Regiment. In December 1969, the Air Force Second Anti-aircraft Artillery (Surface-to-air Missile) Independent Eighth Regiment was established in Lanzhou. In December, it arrived at the Haiyan County station to perform the base air defense mission. Among them, the Independent 12th Battalion was stationed at Ketu Wharf on the east bank of Qinghai Lake in 1967. It was the first missile unit stationed in the 221 base, responsible for the early base air defense mission, and was the first surface-to-air missile unit stationed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The unit is 22 kilometers away from the base in a straight line. It is in the best position to block the US and Soviet bombing around the base, and has built permanent positions and fixed barracks. The Independent 24th Battalion was formed by the Nanjing Air Force in Xianqiao, Hangzhou, Zhejiang in July 1967. Most of the officers and soldiers were drawn from the Radar 5th Regiment, Missile 9th Battalion and Airport Communications Unit, which have excellent living conditions. In November 1969, the troops moved to the Quanjigou position in Gangcha County on the west side of Qinghai Lake, 110 kilometers away from the 221 base.
The fifth unit guarding the base is the Sixth Searchlight Regiment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (Light Sixth Regiment). In August 1955, the Sixth Searchlight Regiment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force was established in Xinchang, Nanhui, Shanghai to defend Nanhui, Shanghai. Later, it was transferred to Hebei and Shandong, and set up defenses at Bohaikou to defend the air defense of the capital Beijing. In April 1966, the Air Force urgently ordered three battalions of the Light Sixth Regiment to secretly go to the Northwest to defend the base. The light stations of each battalion of the Light Sixth Regiment quickly marched from Xining Railway Station to the base. The Light Sixth Regiment is equipped with radar light stations and tracking light stations, which are stationed in Tongbaoshan, various branches of the factory area, etc., and organized an air protection network of light and fire over the base with the anti-aircraft artillery troops.
On the morning of December 27, 1973, a total of 73 farmers and herdsmen from Huangyuan County and Huangzhong County were fishing for ice fish in the Qinghai Lake. Suddenly, a rare northeast wind blew, breaking the ice. Among them, 39 people stood on a large ice block and drifted to the center of the lake with the wind. In the cold winter, the wind was biting cold, and the fishermen's lives were in danger. The danger was reported to the counties where the fishermen were located, Qinghai Province, and the State Council. In the afternoon of the same day, the State Council and the Central Military Commission ordered the former Lanzhou Military Region to organize rescue efforts. The 12th Battalion of the 8th Air Force Ground-to-Air Missile Regiment stationed on the shore of Qinghai Lake became the main rescue force, and immediately dispatched personnel and vehicles to form a rescue team led by Deputy Battalion Commander Song Zefang.
That night, several light stations belonging to the 6th Air Force Searchlight Regiment stationed on the east coast of Qinghai Lake turned on their searchlights to illuminate the lake for rescue. After dozens of officers and soldiers from the entire battalion searched and rescued all night, all 39 fishermen in distress were rescued. Song Zefang, deputy battalion commander of the 12th Battalion at the time, and Jiang Zesong, assistant of the Haiyan County People's Armed Forces Department, unfortunately died heroically while rescuing the fishermen in distress. With their heroic deeds, they interpreted the close relationship between the military and the people.
Xu Shengguo, former platoon leader of the command platoon of the 9th Company of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Anti-aircraft Artillery Division, said: "Faced with the harsh living environment in Tongbaoshan, our company's officers and soldiers remained firm in their belief in taking root in the plateau and guarding the border for the country; their tenacious will to brave the wind and snow and fight the severe cold did not fade. The company's officers and soldiers united as one, overcame difficulties, and successfully completed the task entrusted to us by the motherland to guard China's nuclear weapons test base."
Liu Guangde, a veteran of the Sixth Regiment of the Air Force Searchlight Corps, recalled: "Is it hard to be a soldier? The army is a melting pot, a university for training and cultivating people. We follow orders and follow orders in all actions to regulate our behavior. This period of military life will be unforgettable for me. After retiring, I returned to the 221 Factory that I once defended several times to look back on the past years."
Jiang Qiwu, a soldier of the 103rd Regiment of the 8342th Unit, who is now 81 years old, still keeps a piece of tent cloth that was used in Tongbaoshan more than 60 years ago. He said: "When I see this piece of tent cloth, I will think of the unforgettable years in Tongbaoshan. At that time, everyone had a strong plateau reaction after arriving at the mountain, and they were extremely uncomfortable, especially the comrades from the south. Some of them had frostbitten hands and could not straighten their fingers; some of them had cracked feet and walked in great pain; some of them had cracked their knuckles from swinging sledgehammers. But they persisted despite their illness, no one complained, no one fell down, everyone had only one thought in their mind: retreat is not an option, at most they will bleed a little more and sweat a little more! The task originally scheduled to be completed within 40 days was completed in only 19 days."
The sixth unit guarding the base is the 3rd Company of the 35th Independent Radar Regiment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force, which is under the jurisdiction of the Lanzhou Military Region Air Force. In June 1964, the radar companies were reorganized from the Shenyang Air Force, the Beijing Air Force, the Jinan Air Force, the South Air Force and the Wuhan Air Force, and quickly assembled in Xi'an. On August 1, 1964, a flag-raising ceremony was held in the Lanzhou Military Region Air Force Auditorium. After the flag-raising, the troops took two special trains to the station. The third company was stationed at Haiyan Station, and the remaining companies were stationed at Qinghai Delingha Station and other places and the Hexi Corridor in Gansu. Each radar company started alert at the prescribed time and officially assumed the task of combat readiness and nuclear test support. The 35th Regiment successfully completed various special tasks in the atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb tests, making valuable contributions to the success of the nuclear test.
The seventh unit guarding the base is the 221 Base Fire Brigade. The Fire Brigade was established in 1958 and is the only special unit affiliated with the 221 Base. From its establishment in 1958 to 1993, 18 batches of nearly 800 firefighters came to the base to take charge of firefighting work for the base's barracks, facilities, and vehicles. During the nearly 27 years of guarding the 221 Base, the officers and soldiers of the brigade faithfully fulfilled their military mission and secretly carried out the guarding mission.
As a veteran firefighter who grew up in the 221 base, Zhang Huye deeply felt that the work he was engaged in was both glorious and great. He took the initiative to ask for participation wherever there was a difficult task. At that time, a large amount of water was needed to disinfect and clean the nuclear explosion test site. He often carried out water delivery tasks and had to deliver water several times a day. Although he suffered from cold and freezing, he never complained about being tired. What he still remembers most is the fire that broke out during the test in the sixth factory area in October 1978. Large and small fireballs flew rapidly around, and the grassland instantly turned into a sea of fire. The light of the fire is the order. After hearing the command to fight the fire, all the participants rushed to the fire scene with fire-fighting tools in their hands. Because the grass was dense, the fire burned more and more vigorously with the wind, and the fire-fighting tools were burned out by the fire. The soldiers took off their combat uniforms and fought. After more than 10 hours of continuous fighting, the grassland fire was put out. They have a firm belief deep in their hearts: I am a firefighter, and it is my mission to protect the 221 base.
The PLA and armed police officers stationed at the base have made it their mission to ensure the construction of the base, safeguard the safety of the base, and ensure the smooth progress of scientific research and production. They have patrolled the border of the restricted area of the base, stationed at checkpoints on important roads, and stood guard in important departments of the base for decades, regardless of wind and snow. They strictly and carefully checked the documents of every person coming and going, and promptly resolved one emergency after another. They have devoted their youth, sweat, and hard work to the safety of every corner of the base and the successful development of atomic and hydrogen bombs.
An old soldier from the Eighth Ground-to-Air Missile Regiment recalled: "Whenever I see TV dramas depicting military life, or hear songs about comradeship, I am moved, overwhelmed, and even in tears. I miss the exciting bugle calls of the troops, the agile figures of my comrades on the training ground, and the green grass and sheep around the plateau outposts..."
Tongbaoshan is a key area for air defense defense of the 221 base. More than 1,500 PLA officers and soldiers from anti-aircraft artillery companies, machine gun companies, radar stations and searchlight stations were stationed in Tongbaoshan. Today, in pursuit of their remains, Haibei Prefecture actively promotes the construction of Tongbaoshan eco-tourism and red research bases, and the deeds of the troops stationed at the base have been effectively excavated: 375 physical objects of the troops stationed at the 221 base were collected and displayed in the memorial hall; the Tongbaoshan Red Research Exhibition Hall was built; 60 oral history articles with more than 200,000 words were written; the book "Loyal Guardians of the Nuclear Industry" was published; 16 former sites of the Air Force Guard were excavated, and 5 air defense ammunition storage caves for the garrison personnel; a total of more than 70,000 people (times) went to Tongbaoshan to receive red education. Tongbaoshan has now become an important red research and national defense education base in and outside the province.
Today, on the 60th anniversary of the explosion of China's first atomic bomb, let us pay tribute to the soldiers who built and guarded the bases and remember their achievements. These PLA and armed police officers are willing to be silent builders and guardians for the great cause of earth-shaking. Like the scientists who developed the "two bombs", they are the most lovely people in the "two bombs" cause.
History will never forget them!
Qinghai Daily (August 26, 2024, Page 5: Provincial News)
Statement: Except for the articles with source indication, the above content are all original articles of Qinghai Daily. Any reproduction without written permission is strictly prohibited!
