Inside 'Underground Great Wall of China' primed for WW3
The winding network of tunnels is believed to be home to the Chinese army's secretive strategic missile unit, the group in charge of maintaining and, if necessary, launching, Xi Jinping's ICBMs.
China has long revered its sacred mountains, with thousands visiting them every year to pay their respects to monuments to Taoism, Buddhism and folk religion.
But beneath the feet of these pilgrims, in the mountains' dense granite crusts, is said to lie a 3,100-mile network of tunnels that houses an existential threat to the nation's enemies.
The winding network of tunnels is believed to be home to the Chinese army's secretive strategic missile unit, the group in charge of maintaining and, if necessary, launching, Xi Jinping's intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
These chosen few are in charge of some of the longest-range deadly weapons ever created by mankind - China's Dongfeng missiles.
The most cutting edge ICBM, the Dongfeng-41, is believed to have a maximum range of 9,000 miles - far surpassing the Americans' Minuteman III, which has a range of 8,700 miles.
Many of the Dongfeng missiles are hidden at least 330ft below China's mountains and make up the country's 'underground Great Wall', described by Beijing propagandists as its 'last trump card.'
Because of the deep strategic location of the tunnels underneath the mountains, dubbed 'Dragon Palaces', China has the ability to launch retaliatory attacks within 10 minutes of being hit.
In rare footage released by Chinese media, troops can be seen marching in perfect unison alongside powerful weapons, while teams of hard-hat clad workers are seen slowly excavating vast tunnels.
Footage aired by Chinese state media appears to show powerful weapons in underground bases
Chinese troops are seen marching alongside what appears to be long-range weapons
In rare footage released by Chinese media, scores of hard hat-clad men can be seen walking through the deep caverns underneath the mountains in perfect unison as they slowly excavate tunnels
Current estimates suggest China has just 500 missiles, though the secretive nation refuses to officially disclose the number of nuclear weapons it controls
One banner on the construction project highlights the purpose of the tunnels, reading: 'Strive to build a position capable of fighting and winning battles.'
Little is known about these so-called Dragon Palaces, due to the jealously secretive policy of the Chinese state.
But Qian Qihu, a Chinese academic whose work reportedly guaranteed the safety of the country's strategic weapons, launch and storage facilities as well as commanders' safety, told the Global Times in 2019 that the 'Underground Steel Great Wall,' was the 'country's last national defense line'.
The enormity of the tunnels was a strategic decision on the part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to Chinese media. Many of the passageways are reported to be fake, leading nowhere, and house fake ICBMs to confuse potential invaders who manage to penetrate the fortified mountains.
This could potentially give Beijing's army the chance to move their real weapons to safer locations within the tunnels that may have been penetrated by bunker-busting bombs.
Footage shared by Chinese media shows scores of missiles being driven through the tunnels as armed military men watch over their route.
Current estimates suggest China has just 500 missiles, though the secretive nation refuses to officially disclose the number of nuclear weapons it controls, as it considers this information a state secret.
China has heavily invested in its warhead modernisation programme, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, by increasing both the range of useable weapons and their numbers.
According to a 2023 Pentagon report to Congress, this arsenal will increase to 1,000 by 2030, many of which will probably be 'deployed at higher readiness levels' and most 'fielded on systems capable of ranging the [continental United States]'.
Pictures from Chinese state media appear to show workers constructing a tunnel
The enormity of the tunnels was a strategic decision on the part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to Chinese media
One banner on the construction project highlights the purpose of the tunnels, reading: 'Strive to build a position capable of fighting and winning battles'
The soldiers in charge of maintaining and launching these missiles are regularly drilled on what to do in the event of an ICBM launch, living stark and barren lives in which they are constantly told when they can sleep, eat and exercise.
Yue Lie, a military instructor at the base, told local media: 'You can only go to bed when ordered to, and you need to wake up when ordered. Your schedule is set in accordance with training needs and combat requirements.'
Rushing through the white-painted tunnels of the ICBM base in perfect unison, countless soldiers in a variety of uniforms, including what appears to be radiation protection suits, can be seen sprinting to their stations in preparation for a potential launch.
The soldiers live in the complex day and night. They were seen exercising in a single line down a narrow corridor, stretching, completing press-ups and crawling backwards on all fours to ensure their physical fitness.
Li Junfeng, the deputy chief of staff of one brigade at the nuclear base, said the troops are made to resist fatigue, low oxygen levels, and hunger.
'When troops face a continuous, high-intensity battle, we will face a problem from long-term confined survival and food shortage.'
The corridors also act as bedrooms for the countless soldiers who work there, with foldable bunk-beds lining each hallway.
On top of this, Chinese soldiers eat their daily meals in these hallways, consuming pre-packaged meals while sitting in two rows on tiny seats.
China has heavily invested in its warhead modernisation programme, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Within seconds, an entire platoon was seen abandoning their food and sprinting down the hallway to their battle stations
Many of the passageways are fake, leading nowhere, and house fake ICBMs to confuse potential invaders who manage to penetrate the fortified mountains
China has built the massive set of complexes underneath its mountains
In footage shared with Chinese media, the drill alert sounded in the middle of the soldiers' dinner time.
Within seconds, an entire platoon was seen abandoning their food and sprinting down the hallway to their battle stations.
Li Min, the commander of one brigade, told local media: 'Through this training, we can ensure we are always in a battle-ready position, day and night, ensuring that the troops can fight at any time to effectively destroy targets.'
China's military capabilities are rapidly growing.
Earlier this week, a top American space official revealed the nation has been rehearsing 'dogfighting in space' with satellites.
China previously released rare footage of its nuclear-capable, hypersonic missile DF-26 being launched during a military exercise
Vice Chief of Space Operations at the US Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein said during the annual McAleese defence programmes conference that the service is 'starting to see our near-peers focusing on practicing dogfighting in space with satellite-on-satellite' operations.
'With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchrony and in control', he said.
'That's what we call dogfighting in space. They are practicing tactics, techniques, and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another,' he added.
Shortly after this speech, the Space Force said the general was referring to the observation of five Chinese satellites in low Earth orbit in 2024.
While dogfighting normally refers to combat between two or more fighter planes, major nations like the US and China are already starting to figure out what warfare might look like in space.
Soldiers are forced to sleep in the corridors of the complex
They are also made to exercise regularly in the hallways
Chinese President Xi Jinping adjusts his jacket as he listens at the opening session of the National People's Congress, or NPC, at the Great Hall of the People on March 5, 2025 in Beijing
Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army march during a parade to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, at Tiananmen Square on October 1, 2019 in Beijing
Guetlein said that on top of China's training, the US faced additional threats to its space security in the form of rapidly evolving technology.
He pointed to 'nesting doll' satellites, which can separate into two individual units, satellites that have the ability to 'shadow' American spacecraft and satellites that have grappling arms that can be used nefariously.
'Unfortunately, our current adversaries are willing to go against international norms of behavior, go against that gentleman's agreement, and they're willing to do it in very unsafe and unprofessional manners,' Guetlein said.
He added that the capability gap between the US and its competitors has also 'significantly narrowed.'
Earlier this month, sabre-rattling China announced it was set to boost its defence spending by 7.2% after threatening America with 'any war' amid a furious row over Donald Trump's planned tariffs.
The communist state announced the huge military spending boost as global tensions soared with Beijing and Washington both declaring themselves ready for conflict.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: 'Exerting extreme pressure on China is the wrong target and the wrong calculation … If the US has other intentions and insists on a tariff war, trade war or any other war, China will fight to the end.
'We advise the US to put away its bullying face and return to the right track of dialogue and cooperation as soon as possible.'
Drills can happen at any moment, forcing all soldiers to drop what they are doing to rehearse a launch
China's military shows off their latest missiles during the National Day in Beijing
This handout photograph on September 26, 2024, shows the Chinese People's Liberation Army Rocket Force launching an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean, at an undisclosed location
The Chinese embassy in the US added: 'If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we're ready to fight till the end.'
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said in response that the US is 'prepared' to go to war with China, telling Fox: 'Those who long for peace must prepare for war. that's why we're rebuilding our military.
'If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong, and that president understands peace comes through strength,' Hegseth added.
The question of who would win in an all-out war, however, remains unanswered.
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