"Uncovering the dust-laden history and tracing the footsteps of our predecessors, we can experience the extraordinary years of China's exploration of nuclear weapons and follow the spiritual inheritance spanning more than 60 years." — Xinhua News Agency
In January 2017, the National Development and Reform Commission, the China National Tourism Administration, and other authorities released the List of Classic Red Tourism Scenic Spots in China, and the "LIANGDAN CHENG OF CHINA" was included in the list.
"LIANGDAN CHENG OF CHINA" Located in Zitong, Sichuan Province, the "LIANGDAN CHENG OF CHINA" is the former site of the headquarters of the Ninth Academy (China Academy of Engineering Physics, CAEP). Built in the late 1960s, it covers an area of more than 3,000 mu, with a total floor area of 200,000 square meters, serving as the headquarters of China's second nuclear weapons research and development base after Qinghai. In 1969, the academy's headquarters was relocated here from Qinghai. Over the following 23 years, researchers at CAEP organized and completed the implementation of 29 nuclear tests, the weaponization and finalization of atomic and hydrogen bombs, as well as the research and development of new-generation weapons and other key national defense scientific research tasks.
Distinguished scientists who were awarded the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" Merit Medal, including Yu Min, Wang Ganchang, Deng Jiaxian, Zhu Guangya, Chen Nengkuan, Zhou Guangzhao, and Cheng Kaijia, as well as generals such as Zhang Aiping and Li Jue, all left their marks here. To this day, 167 well-preserved buildings dating back to the 1960s remain intact, including the auditorium, office building, archives, model hall, intelligence center, Deng Jiaxian's Former Residence, and the General's Building, along with numerous memorial relics such as air-raid shelters and the National Soul Stele Forest. During the Third National Cultural Relics Census, it was listed among the 100 Major New Discoveries of Cultural Relics in China.
Zitong – A City with a Time-Honored History
Zitong has long been praised as "a land suitable for all five grains, a town abundant with forests and mulberries". It derives its name from the fact that it "leans against catalpa forests in the east and rests on the Tongshui River in the west". Established as a county by King Zhaoxiang of Qin in the 22nd year of his reign (285 BC), Zitong boasts a history of more than 2,300 years, nurturing a rich and diverse cultural heritage: Qin and Han cultures, Three Kingdoms culture, Tang and Han cultures, Wenchang culture, red culture, and traditional Chinese medicine culture represented by Pu Fuzhou, a master of Chinese medicine. The county is home to three national key cultural relic protection units: the Great Temple of Qiqu Mountain, Li Ye Que on Changqing Mountain, and the Thousand-Buddha Cliff Grottoes on Wolong Mountain.
◆ On March 31, 2021, Huang Qiang, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Sichuan Province, emphasized during an on-site inspection in Zitong County, Mianyang City:
We should implement hierarchical and classified protection and management in light of local conditions, carry out urgent repairs of dilapidated buildings, restore key cultural relics to their original state and strengthen their protection, demolish non-cultural relic facilities that are extremely incongruous with the surroundings, and conduct scientific development and utilization of those eligible for reuse.
◆ On March 31, 2021, Luo Zengbin, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, stressed at a special meeting held in Zitong:
In line with the new requirements of the new era, we should give full play to the important role of revolutionary cultural relics in Party history learning and education, revolutionary tradition education, and patriotism education, and make every effort to protect, utilize, and manage the red resources of the Two-Bomb City.
Due to long construction years, disrepair, and natural deterioration, the protective restoration of the Two-Bomb City is extremely urgent. Therefore, the Mianyang Municipal Government decided to launch a national tender in 2021. Upholding its consistent rigorous and responsible attitude, David Design conducted careful surveys and measurements of the terrain and buildings of the Two-Bomb City, carried out in-depth interviews with senior experts and relevant staff who once worked here, and extensively collected and studied existing drawings and materials, ultimately winning the bid for the implementation plan.
The project focuses on the protective restoration of buildings including expert dormitories within the "Elite Gate" of the "LIANGDAN CHENG OF CHINA", and builds a core spiritual homeland for the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" spirit through in-situ exhibitions.
Project Overview
"Red clouds surge to light the ninth heaven,
Thousands of jun of nuclear power shake the earth.
After two decades of brave climbing,
The second-generation boat has crossed the bridge."
— Deng Jiaxian, written in 1984 after the successful test of the second-generation nuclear weapon
The planning scope of the " "LIANGDAN CHENG OF CHINA"" includes the former headquarters site, the former Hanjiang Hospital, the Institute of Technology, and the Changqing Mountain Forest Park. The planned area covers approximately 5.22 square kilometers, with a spatial structure of One Core, Four Zones. The core of the planning scope is the former headquarters area, with surrounding areas expanded to enrich exhibition spaces and content.
▲ Rendering of the Office Building Facade
▲ Rendering of the Intelligence Center Building Facade
▲ Rendering of the Archives Building Facade
▲ Rendering of the Communication Building Facade
▲ Rendering of Road Infrastructure Restoration
Slogans and old photographs, along with the well-preserved auditorium, General's Building, Deng Jiaxian's Former Residence, and combat readiness air-raid shelter ruins, add a profound sense of weight to that eventful red era filled with "smoke of struggle".
▲ Rendering of the Main Gate Restoration
▲ Rendering of the Auditorium Restoration
▲ Rendering of the Headquarters Office Building (Deng Jiaxian's Office) Exhibition
Deng Jiaxian's Former Residence stands directly opposite the General's Building. The two-bedroom, one-living-room bungalow is surrounded by camphor and phoenix trees. The interior remains exactly as it was: the bedroom contains only a row of bookcases, an iron bed, and an ordinary wardrobe; the office has a desk, a rattan chair, two single fabric sofas, and a small tea table. The hand-cranked calculator and metal filing cabinet seem to "narrate" the extraordinary past in silence.
Precious historical photos and copies of Deng Jiaxian's manuscripts hang on the walls of this simple residence, offering later generations a glimpse into his inner world at that time.
On July 29, 1986, on his deathbed, Deng Jiaxian still urged his colleagues to strive for the research and development of cutting-edge weapons: "Don't let others leave us too far behind..."
▲ The "Father of Two Bombs" at Work
▲ Rendering of the Headquarters Office Building (Yu Min Deeds Exhibition Hall)
Poverty did not limit their imagination; blockades did not restrict their strategic vision of devoting all their energy to planning the future of national defense; nuclear blackmail and nuclear threats only strengthened their resolve to dedicate their wisdom, blood, youth, and even lives to the motherland.
Generation after generation of scientific researchers rooted themselves in desolate deserts, guarded dense forests and remote mountains, and forged the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" spirit with their youth, sweat, and even lives, straightening the iron backbone of the Chinese nation.
▲ Rendering of the Intelligence Center (Lobby) Exhibition
▲ Rendering of the Second Guest House (Canteen) Exhibition
▲ Rendering of the Communication Building (Emergency Command Room) Exhibition
▲ Rendering of the Communication Building (Interrogation Room) Exhibition
▲ Rendering of the Communication Building (Communication History Experience Hall) Exhibition
▲ Rendering of the Communication Building (Power Generation Room) Exhibition
David Design's winning implementation plan adheres to the principles of "restoring the old as it was, returning to the original appearance, in-situ exhibition, and promoting the spirit" to carry out the restoration and exhibition work of the "LIANGDAN CHENG OF CHINA". It aims to fully explore, protect, and inherit the red resources of the "Two Bombs, One Satellite", and polish the red tourism brand of the "LIANGDAN CHENG OF CHINA".
