China has built a museum to commemorate those who made the country’s first hydrogen bomb and satellites in the 1960s and early 1970s. Located on the Huairou campus of CAS University – some 60 kms from Beijing, the museum is housed at the site of the Academy’s former rocket test base founded in 1958. The base was used to develop ground test operations for high-energy liquid propellants and engines for long-range rockets.
China detonated its first hydrogen bomb in 1967, a little more than two-and-a-half years after the country’s first atomic bomb test. More than 17,000 researchers participated in the “two bombs, one satellite” project, which helped increase China’s scientific and defence capabilities and contributed to growth in national strength. Due to their efforts, China has become one of the few countries with independent knowledge of nuclear and space technology.