"131"地下工程

"131"Dìxià gōngchéng - Underground Project 131


Useful Information

Location: Xian'An, Xianning, Hubei 437017.
Gaoqiao Township, Xian'an District, Xianning prefecture-level city, Hubei Province.
(29.848176, 114.470204)
Open: All year daily 8-18.
Not accessible for foreign tourists.
[2023]
Fee: Adults CNY 45, Parking CNY 5.
[2023]
Classification: SubterraneaSecret Bunker
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension: L=456 m.
Guided tours:
Photography: no
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:
Address: Chengshuidong Tourist Area, Xian'An, Xianning, Hubei 437017, Tel: +86-715-878-2131.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

01-JAN-1969 construction ordered.
SEP-1971 project terminated.
1981 turned over to the civilian authorities.

Description

The "131"地下工程 (Underground Project 131) is a secret bunker which was intended to accommodate the Chinese military command headquarters in case of a nuclear war. It was planned by General Huang Yongsheng, PLA Chief of Staff. That's the reason why it is located in his hometown, only a few kilometers from his home. The name is actually the date of the decision to build it, the 31-JAN-1969. In Chinese the month is written first, so the date is 01-31 or 131.

Huang Yongsheng was an ally of Lin Biao. In 1971 Lin Biao fell and was killed, as a result Huang Yongsheng was arrested two weeks later on 24-SEP-1971. At first, he was vanished for years, until he was put on trial in 1980. He was given a prison sentence, and he died three years later in 1983. His grave is located on the site of Underground Project 131. As this project was made after his plans, it was stopped in 1971 after his arrest. The site was never completed and never used, it was never visited by the other members of the government.

The site was handed over to the civilian authorities in 1981. On the grounds an upscale hotel and conference facility was built. The tunnel system was turned into a tourist attraction, and at first the secret bunker was open to foreign tourists. But the tunnel is still considered a military project and therefore closed in April 2009 to non-Chinese visitors. The tunnel is mostly empty but there are some exhibits like Mao badges and posters in the pavilions on the surface.

It seems the site is still referred to as 澄水洞 (Chengshuidong, Clear Water Cave), which is a code name for the bunker.