5.1 Apply Some Heritage Sites of the Third-front C...
First,we try to list some heritage sites of the Third-front Construction into the list of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units and make them our“national memory”.This is very important to raise the reputation of Chongqing as a famous historical and cultural city and a national modern manufacturing base.Analysis of the“industrial heritage”listed as National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units shows that:these heritages are usually a groundbreaking industrial landscape throughout China's industrial development history or a pioneer in a certain industrial category in China;they are usually associated with major historical events;they have dominant scale and technology in their field and represent the advanced level of productivity at that time.Based on this principle,we recommend the following four heritage sites to apply for national key cultural relics protection units.
5.1.1 816 Nuclear Military Plant
The 816 Nuclear Military Plant is located in the mountain by Wujiang River,Baitao Town,Fuling.The project was approved in the summer of 1966 by the Central Special Committee led by late premier Zhou Enlai.More than 20 000 construction workers,who mainly came from engineer troops,spent a dozen of years in the construction of the military plants.They excavated 1.51 million cubic meters of rocks,casted 250 000 cubic meters of concrete,and accomplished more than 20 km of cavity axis in total.In June 1984,the State Council and Central Military Commission approved to stop the construction of 816 Nuclear Project.Known as the No.1 Cave of Asia,the 816 Military Plant is completely hidden in mountains,which can defend from the impact of hydrogen bomb exploded in the air.The biggest cave is the major reactor building,which is 69 meters in height and 13 000 square meters in size.Today the 816 Nuclear Military Plant has been declassified.The 816 Nuclear Military Plant is a major project of the Third-front Construction and is also a milestone event in the nuclear industry construction of China.The hugeness and difficulty of the project were unparallel in China's industrial development history.Therefore,it is fully qualified to be included in the list of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.
5.1.2 Wansheng Haikong Military Cave
State-owned Jinlin Machinery Factory was a professional artillery factory approved by No.5 Industrial and Machinery Department in 1965 to build in Haikong Village,Conglin Town,Nantong mine area.The military cave was called Haikong Cave.There used to be a lake called Haikong Sea in front of the hole which was drained for farmland during the Republican period.In the early period of the Anti-Japanese War,Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company of National Government Aviation Commission was moved to this place and changed its name into the 2nd Aircraft Manufacturing Company of Aviation Commission,using Haikong Cave as the major manufacturing workshop with more than 2 000 workers.Japanese aircrafts conducted multiple times of reconnaissance and bombing attacks above the cave.In 1943,the chief engineer Lin Tonghua and others developed China's first transport aircraft Zhongyun No.1 and made a successful trial flight.In 1947,the factory moved back and the site was abandoned.In 1965 when the Jinling Factory was under construction,the factory built its assembly shop in the Haikong Cave.The construction of the factory was initially completed in 1968 as designed.In 1987,the Jinling Factory was approved by the government to move out of the cave for safety.The whole factory was moved to Chengdu in 2003,and the original plants and workshops were abandoned.Villagers mainly used the Haikong Cave for sideline production,such as growing mushrooms,raising giant salamanders,etc.Haikong Cave is a natural cave which is 18～35 meters high,18 meters wide and 210 meters deep.The assembly workshop was built by using the original internal height.The basic structure is still under good preservation.Haikong Cave is of great historical significance to China's national defense during the two important historical periods of Anti-Japanese War and the Third-front Construction.China's first transport aircraft was also made in the cave regardless of the difficult conditions during the Anti-Japanese War.It was also one of the major projects of Chongqing's first group of weapon industrial bases during the Thirdfront Construction period.
Haikong Cave is already included in the project of“Former Sites of Anti-Japanese War Weapons Industries in Chongqing”,which is listed in the Seventh Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.But we think Haikong Cave can still apply for the National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit as the heritage site of the Third-front Construction,which has its precedents as far as other similar heritage sites are concerned:about 147 projects from the Seventh Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units are also included in the current list of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.Haikong Cave can be referred to the sample principle.(https://www.daowen.com)
5.1.3 Qijiang Zhangjiaba Military Cave
Qijiang Zhangjiaba Military Cave was the military production workshop of Shuangxi Machinery Factory.Zhangjiaba was a junction between Shilong River and Shuangba River.That's why the plant was named Shuangxi.Zhangjiaba Military Cave contains three caves,and No.1 cave is the biggest.In December 1938,different military plants from Guangxi were moved to Zhangjiajia,and were named No.40 Military Plant of the Ordnance Bureau.The organic unit was canceled in 1944 and was changed into No.21 Military Plant Qijiang Branch which mainly produced bullets and mortar shells.The capacity of the plant reached 1.2 million bullets and 10 000 No.82 mortar shells per month on the eve of victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945.The plant was abandoned after the Anti-Japanese War.In March 1965,the construction of Shuangxi Machinery Factory was started in Zhangjiaba and put into production in July 1966.This plant was a major project of the first batch of weapon bases in use.It was then expanded from 1969 to 1973.The major product was large caliber ground artilleries which were the main battlefield weapon for our ground forces.In 1988,the Shuangxi Factory was moved out.Zhangjiaba Military Cave has a long history of military production,which was an important production workshop for weapon industrial factories during the Anti-Japanese War and the Third-front Construction period,and played a significant role in the Anti-Japanese War and the national defense construction of new China.So,we suggest Zhangjiaba Military Cave to apply for National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.
5.1.4 Beibei Puling Machinery Factory
Chongqing Puling Machinery Factory,which was located in Motan,Beibei,was a key enterprise producing small gasoline engines appointed by the former State Machinery Department.The factory was moved in Chongqing by Shanghai Power Machinery Factory in October 1964.It was the first factory moved in by coastal enterprise during the Third-front Construction period and only took two months before being put into use.The Third-front Construction committee praised Puling Machinery Factory as an advanced model of moving in factories.An on-site experience promotion conference was held in Chongqing from 18 to 24 in December,1964.In September 1980,six enterprises including Puling Machinery Factory and Jialing Machinery Factory jointly formed Jialing Motorcycle Economic Complex,which was China's first industrial economic complex in the early reform and opening-up period.This complex has broken through the military and civilian limits,geographical limits,and ownership limits,causing great impact throughout the country.In 1986,Puyi Briggs &Stratton Gasoline Engine Co.Ltd.,a joint venture of Puling Machinery Factory and Briggs&Stratton Corp.,was founded in Chongqing.It was the first Sino-US industrial joint venture in the mainland of China.For quite a long period,the products of the company had good sales throughout European and American market with good economic returns.However,the economic performance of the factory had declined year by year since 1996 and was unable to maintain its
normal production after entering the 21st century.Now the factory is in bankruptcy liquidation and it is time to make protective and utilizing schemes for it.Considering the historical significance of Puling Machinery Factory during the Third-front Construction period and its periodical influences in China's industrial history,we also suggest Puling Machinery Factory(or part of their historical factories)to apply for national key cultural relics protection unit.