An old military nuclear plant opened for tourists

An old military nuclear facility which has never been used has been redesigned to be visited by tourists, writes UPI.com. Hailed as the largest man-made cave in the world, the 816 Nuclear Military Plant, located in the mountains of Fuling district in China's Chongqing municipality, was designed to manufacture plutonium in the 1960s - a 17-year project involving more than 60,000 soldiers.

Yang Yan, an administrator at the site, told China Daily: 'So far, no foreigners have visited the plant. A tour takes three hours, and visitors must follow the guide, otherwise they will get lost in this maze-like cave. This base has never been put into operation or stored any nuclear material,' Mr Yang said. 'There is no need to worry about radiation. It is safe to enter.'

After its declassification in 2002, the facility now includes a modern lighting and sound system, a science center dedicated to the nuclear field and other exhibition spaces dedicated to the history of China. The plant spans 9662 square meters in 18 wells dug into the rock and 130 tunnels. It was designed to tolerate thousands of tons of TNT explosives, and at least 100 workers were reported to have died during construction.

A complete tour takes three hours and visitors must follow closely the guide in order to not be lost on the dark sites of the plant. A small part of the nuclear plant was opened in 2010 during China's national holidays, but now only a third of it is open to the public. Construction of the base began in 1966, over 60,000 soldiers being involved in this process and at least 100 have died during the works, concludes UPI.com.