"The Third Front project mobilized 15 million people to fortify China's defenses against the possibility of an attack from its cold war enemy, the United States, or from the Soviet Union, whose relationship with China was becoming increasingly strained."
"Mao's idea was to create a third line of national defense facilities that were less exposed than the first front of factories on China's east coast and the second front, which referred to smaller inland cities behind the first front."
"After Mao's death in 1976, and as relations with the US warmed, the factories were gradually abandoned. In 1985, China's leader Deng Xiaoping declared: There will be no large-scale war for a fairly long time."
The Third Front project, initiated by Mao Zedong in 1964, aimed to fortify China's defenses against potential attacks from the US and Soviet Union. It involved deploying 15 million workers to remote mountainous regions, particularly in Sichuan, Gansu, and Ningxia, with over 200 billion yuan invested. The factories were designed to be less exposed than those on the east coast. Following Mao's death in 1976 and improved US relations, these facilities were gradually abandoned, reflecting a shift in China's military strategy.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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