Being at the forefront of innovation on the Yangtze River with new itineraries, eco-friendly vessels and daily excursions, we have decided to put the small town of Fuling on China’s tourist map.

This secret gem, Fuling, is located in the middle part of the Yangtze River on one of her many amazing tributaries, Wu River. With a history spanning over 2,000 years, Fuling was once the capital city of the Ancient Ba Kingdom. Its name means “Fu (River) mausoleum” because some rulers of the State of Ba were buried there. In the West, Fuling is best known for having been the location of former U.S. Peace Corps teacher Peter Hessler’s best-selling memoir River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze.

Apart from the above, Fuling is becoming recognised for an unusual piece of history, hidden until 2010 and even today ten years later, there are few people who are aware of the significance of Fuling and its contribution to the history of the Cold War.

The only visible and very often missed sign of importance is a chimney raised high above the magnificent Jinzi Mountain. The locals had noticed it but under the pressure of everyday life, just ignored it.

The main peak of Jinzi Mountain is about 1417 meters above sea level; it is steep, with lush greenery and beautiful scenery. However, it is hollow. It as excavated in 1960 and for the next 18 years it was a top military secret – a secret nuclear reactor. China already had a nuclear reactor in northwest China in the Province of Gansu, a joint Sino-Russian cooperation called the 404-project. Feeling strong, China wanted her own, home-made nuclear power and the location of Mt Jinxi at Fuling was chosen. In 1966 Premier Zhou Enlai personally approved the plan to build a replica of the 404-project underground in Fuling. Over the next 18 years, more than 60,000 workers took part in the top-secret project called “816” which lasted until 1980 when new legalisation abruptly put the nearly-finished plant on hold.

For a long time the hollow mountain was used a as a chemical fertilizer factory before the 816 site underwent a year of renovations. Fast forward to the present day and as a result of the project we have the world’s largest artificial cave.Since it reopened, visitors — including foreigners — can now see about one-third of the cave, which contains nearly 13 miles of tunnel roads, and which is able to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake.

The 90-minute tour by cart goes through a maze of empty reactor halls, exhibition rooms and dim staircases while neon lights bathe the concrete-walled room in blue, red and then pink. Miniature Chinese army trucks are on display and a life-sized replica of China’s first atomic bomb, which was detonated during a nuclear test in 1964.