Nuclear Testing in China’s Western Territory

Lop Nor was once a 1.3 million acre lake in the Taklamakan desert of Xinjiang Autonomous Region until the Chinese military set up a secret nuclear test site in June 1959, detonating 45 nuclear bombs between 1964 and 1996. A Chinese military veteran, using the alias Liu Qing, told The Epoch Times in an exclusive interview about his experiences while serving in the nuclear unit and being sent for prolonged military exercises at ground zero.

Special police in Hebei Province beat a veteran from "Nuclear 8023" unit for petitioning the government for compensation. Courtesy of Liu Qing