711 mine, the first uranium mine established by China, made great contributions to the explosion of China's first atomic bomb, the launch of the first hydrogen bomb and the launching of the first nuclear submarine. It is praised as "the first meritorious uranium mine in China's nuclear industry", and is selected into the list of the eighth batch of national key cultural relic protection units. Let's travel through time and explore the hidden and glorious past of a dearth of uranium mines in Hunan province.

In 1956, a plane from the Nuclear Geological System, equipped with sophisticated detection instruments, flew over the village and dropped bales of lime to mark the mountain's potential treasure, uranium deposits.

In 1958, Deng Xiaoping approved the construction of the first plants and mines in the nuclear industry, marking the beginning of the new China's natural uranium production.

However, the development of uranium mining is an undertaking that the Chinese have never done before. New technologies are applied and new problems are encountered: insufficient equipment and personnel. The builders have to rely on themselves to cross the river by feeling for stones. While exploration, design and construction, the older generation of uranium miners have seen tigers, wolves and snakes in the mountains, but they overcome the difficulties difficult for ordinary people to overcome, day and night to speed up the construction of uranium mines. No place to live in, they live in cattle stalls, thatched shacks, battering bases, no tools, with sledgehammers, steel drill, dustpan, rake, windlass car, no transport equipment, with wooden pads, iron pipes as rollers.

The geological environment of July 11 mine is special, the temperature is more than 40 degrees, and the hot air of the shaft and lane is scorching. Besides, some places were not well ventilated, and standing there for a while would make one's feet red and his clothes soaked with sweat. Besides, one had to work hard. In front of the workers in drilling, ore transport, behind will arrange a hand to take a cold water pipe in the front of the person to spray cold water cooling

Roadways and quarries hundreds of kilometres underground were dug in this way. The body temperature of a class is two degrees higher than ordinary people, sleep a night to get up before returning to normal.

More than 60 years later, the July 11 mine has become an important base for patriotic education after completing its historical mission. In those days, the builders said most in the interview: "no regrets, a clear conscience."

"I have spent most of my life in the mine on July 11. I and more than 4,000 comrades have devoted their youth, blood and lives to the mine and to the cause of national defense. For this, I feel extremely proud and gratified."(Reprinted please indicate Jiandao website www.seetao.com) Jiandao website video column editor/Jiang Qingli