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    NEWS

    404: China’s Abandoned Nuclear City

    How a remote corner of Gansu province became China’s atom bomb base.
    Oct 19, 20161-min read #vivid tones#science

    In the early ’90s, nearly 100,000 people lived in a city that couldn’t be found on any map. It had no name, just a code: 404.

    404 City is located on the sandy plains of Gansu province in China’s northwest, some 100 kilometers to the west of Jiayuguan City. Its name comes from 404 Co. Ltd., a company under the China National Nuclear Corporation. When the city was built in 1958, it served one purpose only: to host a nuclear bomb.

    The country’s best nuclear scientists and experts were transferred to 404 — China’s first nuclear military base — along with mechanics, doctors, and other supporting staff. Six years later, in 1964, China recorded its first successful nuclear bomb detonation in the Gobi Desert in neighboring Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

    The city has an area of 4 square kilometers, with its own municipal government, police department, television station — even its own courthouse and prison. In fact, 404 is bigger than it looks, with a complete underground defense system in case of nuclear war.

    Due to large-scale cave-ins, most people living in 404 were relocated to Jiayuguan in 2006. Now, only some 1,000 residents remain. Countless identical housing blocks stand empty, their doors sealed shut with walls of brick. The city park, once a nucleus of after-work entertainment, is deserted.

    A railway line connects the cities of 404 and Jiayuguan, Gansu province, Aug. 28, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    A railway line connects the cities of 404 and Jiayuguan, Gansu province, Aug. 28, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    An aerial view of a deserted area of 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Construction on this area began in the ’60s, but it was abandoned in 1986. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    An aerial view of a deserted area of 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Construction on this area began in the ’60s, but it was abandoned in 1986. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    Three-storied residential buildings stand in a completely abandoned area of 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    Three-storied residential buildings stand in a completely abandoned area of 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    Cooling towers are seen in the Gobi Desert near 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 28, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    Cooling towers are seen in the Gobi Desert near 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 28, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    A woman peers through the gate at the entrance to Nuclear City Park in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    A woman peers through the gate at the entrance to Nuclear City Park in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    A life-sized model of a fighter jet stands in Nuclear City Park in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    A life-sized model of a fighter jet stands in Nuclear City Park in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    A cage that once held animals in 404 City’s Nuclear City Park, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    A cage that once held animals in 404 City’s Nuclear City Park, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    A swing and other playground equipment at Nuclear City Park in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    A swing and other playground equipment at Nuclear City Park in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    The tip of a sunken boat is visible in Nuclear City Park, 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    The tip of a sunken boat is visible in Nuclear City Park, 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    Three men stand in front of a residential building in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 28, 2016. After most residents were relocated to Jiayuguan, only about 1,000 people still live in the city. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    Three men stand in front of a residential building in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 28, 2016. After most residents were relocated to Jiayuguan, only about 1,000 people still live in the city. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    Inside a China National Nuclear Corporation-affiliated hotel in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 28, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    Inside a China National Nuclear Corporation-affiliated hotel in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 28, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    Visitors to 404 City explore a man-made hill in Nuclear Park, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Just over this hill, cooling towers can be seen at the nuclear base. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    Visitors to 404 City explore a man-made hill in Nuclear Park, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Just over this hill, cooling towers can be seen at the nuclear base. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    A railway maintenance worker waits for a commuter train in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    A railway maintenance worker waits for a commuter train in 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
    A statue of a traffic policeman with a cone on his head and a beer bottle in his hand stands by the side of the road leading to 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone
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    A statue of a traffic policeman with a cone on his head and a beer bottle in his hand stands by the side of the road leading to 404 City, Gansu province, Aug. 29, 2016. Xu Haifeng/Sixth Tone