Life

Masters or Waste? The Blood and Tears of the Baiyang River Uranium Mine 730

People only know that the atomic bomb exploded in Lop Nur, but they don't know how many people paid a huge price for these "achievements."

In 1964, China's first atomic bomb was successfully detonated, thanks in part to uranium mined in Bukesaier County. With early Soviet assistance withdrawn by 1960, China conducted nationwide uranium mining. The key site, Mine 730, operated under harsh conditions, exposing workers to severe radioactive contamination, leading to high rates of deformities and illnesses. The mine was closed in 1979, leaving unresolved health impacts.

  1. #Lop Nur
  2. #Uranium Mine
  3. #Soviet Union
  4. #Mining
  5. #Radioactive Pollution
  6. #Laborers

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An old, weathered stone archway stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow and mountains, with a clear blue sky above.An old, weathered stone archway stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow and mountains, with a clear blue sky above.

On October 16, 1964, China's first atomic bomb exploded successfully at the Lop Nur nuclear test site. Before that, this atomic bomb was manufactured at the 221 factory in Jinyintan, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, loaded onto a special train, escorted at the highest level all the way to Urumqi station, then transported by an Il-12 aircraft overnight to Kaiping Airport downstream of the Kongqueriver in Bazhou, and finally transported by helicopter to the target point. Everyone knows what happened next.

The most important part of the atomic bomb is uranium. In Xinjiang and Bukesaier County, there was one of China's earliest uranium mines.

In the 1950s, in order to obtain more uranium ore, and because China also wanted to use Soviet equipment and technology, the two sides signed an agreement in 1955. For China's uranium mines, they would be mined by China, and except for its own needs, the rest would be purchased by the Soviet Union.

Then China established the management agency for uranium mining geological work: the Third Bureau of the Second Machinery Department. Shortly after, the 519th Regiment was established in Urumqi. The chief of the exploration team and the deputy chief geologist were Chinese, while the chief engineer and chief geologist were Soviet experts.

In 1956, the 24th squad of the 519th Regiment found a uranium mine in the Baituan River basin. In 1958, the Second Machinery Department proposed "nationwide uranium mining."

According to the "Development History of China National Nuclear Corporation (1955-2015)":

Through "nationwide uranium mining," more than 150 tons of "crude" ammonium diuranate were obtained, providing raw materials for the initial nuclear fuel production of the country when the Soviet Union broke the agreement and stopped aid, and the uranium mines and hydrometallurgical plants could not be constructed for a time, thus winning time for the research and development of China's first atomic bomb.

In 1960, due to the Sino-Soviet split, Soviet experts withdrew. Mining and mineral exploration continued here.

In 1963, it became one of the first batch of crude mining projects, with the code name "Mine 730." A team was transferred from the 7th Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, more than 250 people were transferred from the Shenyang Military Region, and more than 400 students aged 15-17 were recruited into the mining area through conscription.

At that time, there were no generators here, everything was done by manpower. The ore was carried on shoulders and backs, masks were made of gauze, and knee-high boots were worn to stir the ore in sulfuric acid pools. Without a crusher, they used iron hammers to crush the stones by hand. The pickled vegetables they ate were soaked in the pool used to measure the uranium equivalent, and the water they drank was from the Baituan River where the mine tailings were dumped.

Time passed into the Cultural Revolution.

In 1978, the autonomous region decided to transfer the mine workers to the Hami Yaminsu Iron Mine, but it failed. In 1979, it was decided to close Mine 730. In 1984, the project was withdrawn, and more than 1,800 miners were arranged to work in the farms and coal mines under the 7th Division.

However, this was not a proper solution. Due to the extremely backward mining and processing methods at Mine 730 at that time, workers were exposed to radioactive nuclear pollution while working, leaving many after-effects. And their occupational injuries seem to have not been resolved.

According to information from a post online:

...According to statistics by authoritative departments, 92.16% of people were severely contaminated by nuclear radiation. During the uranium production period, 321 children were born to women, and 84 of them were deformed (without noses, mouths, anuses, or like snakes), 18 were mentally retarded (grown women in their twenties walking around naked, holding their breasts for others to eat, etc.), and many others had muscular atrophy, weakness, etc. These issues have not been fundamentally resolved to this day. Beginning in 1990, hundreds of these people went to Beijing to petition, sat and knelt at the People's Square in Urumqi, and hundreds of them walked to Beijing to petition. From November to December 2009, hundreds of people protested for more than 20 days in front of the headquarters of the 7th Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps...

I was shocked because I had lived in Karamay, not far from there, for more than a decade, but I had never heard of this place before. So this Spring Festival when I went back home, I finally had the opportunity to visit and see it for myself.

An orange sign with Chinese text stands in a snowy landscape, with a mountain range in the background.An orange sign with Chinese text stands in a snowy landscape, with a mountain range in the background.
An old, weathered stone archway stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow and mountains, with a clear blue sky above.An old, weathered stone archway stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow and mountains, with a clear blue sky above.
An old stone building with a doorway and windows stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and a clear blue sky.An old stone building with a doorway and windows stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and a clear blue sky.
The image features a mountain range with snow-capped peaks, a vast sky with white clouds, and a weathered, brown brick building in the foreground. The perspective is from a high vantage point, looking down on the ruins.The image features a mountain range with snow-capped peaks, a vast sky with white clouds, and a weathered, brown brick building in the foreground. The perspective is from a high vantage point, looking down on the ruins.
A desolate desert landscape with ruins, snow-covered mountains, and a clear blue sky.A desolate desert landscape with ruins, snow-covered mountains, and a clear blue sky.
An old, weathered stone ruins stand in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and a blue sky with white clouds.An old, weathered stone ruins stand in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and a blue sky with white clouds.
A desolate, weathered building with a single window stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow-covered mountains under a clear blue sky.A desolate, weathered building with a single window stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow-covered mountains under a clear blue sky.
An old, weathered stone building with arches and windows stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and a cloudy sky.An old, weathered stone building with arches and windows stands in a barren landscape, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and a cloudy sky.
An old, weathered stone building stands in a snowy landscape, surrounded by mountains and a blue sky with clouds.An old, weathered stone building stands in a snowy landscape, surrounded by mountains and a blue sky with clouds.
A small brick building is situated in a snowy landscape, surrounded by bare trees and a mountain range. The sky is overcast, and the building is in the foreground.A small brick building is situated in a snowy landscape, surrounded by bare trees and a mountain range. The sky is overcast, and the building is in the foreground.
An aerial view of a snow-covered mountain range with a few buildings in the foreground, surrounded by a vast expanse of snow and a clear blue sky with white clouds.An aerial view of a snow-covered mountain range with a few buildings in the foreground, surrounded by a vast expanse of snow and a clear blue sky with white clouds.
An aerial view of a snowy mountain landscape with a winding road, a small yellow building, and a few scattered trees.An aerial view of a snowy mountain landscape with a winding road, a small yellow building, and a few scattered trees.
An aerial view of a snowy landscape with a mountain range in the background, a road winding through the terrain, and a clear blue sky above.An aerial view of a snowy landscape with a mountain range in the background, a road winding through the terrain, and a clear blue sky above.
An aerial view of a snowy landscape with a road running through it, surrounded by wooden buildings and a mountain range.An aerial view of a snowy landscape with a road running through it, surrounded by wooden buildings and a mountain range.
A snowy mountain range with snow-covered peaks and valleys, bare trees, and a small village in the foreground.A snowy mountain range with snow-covered peaks and valleys, bare trees, and a small village in the foreground.
An aerial view of a snowy landscape with a large open field, a few scattered buildings, and a mountain range in the distance.An aerial view of a snowy landscape with a large open field, a few scattered buildings, and a mountain range in the distance.
A snowy mountain landscape with a winding road, snow-covered trees, and a blue sky with clouds.A snowy mountain landscape with a winding road, snow-covered trees, and a blue sky with clouds.
An aerial view of a snow-covered mountain range with a winding river, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and a blue sky with clouds.An aerial view of a snow-covered mountain range with a winding river, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and a blue sky with clouds.
A breathtaking aerial view of a snow-covered mountain range with jagged peaks and valleys, surrounded by bare trees and a clear blue sky.A breathtaking aerial view of a snow-covered mountain range with jagged peaks and valleys, surrounded by bare trees and a clear blue sky.
A snowy mountain range with a valley, bare trees, and a clear blue sky.A snowy mountain range with a valley, bare trees, and a clear blue sky.
An aerial view of a snowy landscape with a long, straight road cutting through it, surrounded by a vast field of snow and a mountain range in the distance.An aerial view of a snowy landscape with a long, straight road cutting through it, surrounded by a vast field of snow and a mountain range in the distance.
An old, weathered stone bridge with three arches stands in a snowy landscape, surrounded by mountains and a cloudy sky.An old, weathered stone bridge with three arches stands in a snowy landscape, surrounded by mountains and a cloudy sky.

Unfortunately, there is not much information about the 730 mine found online.

Among the ruins of the mining sites I shot before, there were many eyewitnesses writing their experiences online about the Lenghuxing Oilfield and the Mangya Asbestos Mine, and there was a lot of information about these two places in the local chronicles of Mangya. Although there was little information in the local chronicles of Sandaoling, there were a lot of people rushing there to take photos of the steam trains, and many people still live there, so you can learn about the past prosperity of the place through them.

However, the 730 Uranium Mine is different. I could not find any recollections of eyewitnesses, nor any information about life here and follow-up in the CNKI and Wanfang local chronicles, only geological papers about the Baiyang River ore deposit. The information that can be searched online mostly repeats the same content, and this article inevitably copies some of it as well.

People marvel at the huge scale of the Great Wall project, but I focus on the plight of the laborers who built the Great Wall. This place and these people should not be forgotten like this.

If you have more information about the 730 Uranium Mine, please leave a comment.

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