Building 704

Building 704

Building 704, also known as Project 704, was a military base established in Hangzhou between April 1970—intended for launching the “571” armed coup. Since naming it the “571” project would have easily exposed the conspiracy, it was instead code-named after the year and month of its construction. As it was built in April 1970, it became known as the “704” project, and later people referred to it as the 704 Guesthouse.

Project 704 is located west of West Lake, between North and South Peaks. The entire facility covers an area of 307 acres, divided into above-ground and underground sections.

Above ground, there are four buildings of distinct styles: Building No. 1, Building No. 2, Building No. 3, and Building No. 4. Building No. 1 was for the residence of the — family, Building No. 2 housed an indoor swimming pool, Building No. 3 was for the “Four Great Lieutenants” of the —, and Building No. 4 was for the —'s proxy in Zhejiang. The total floor area of these four buildings is 28,452 square meters.

Underground lies an independent tunnel-style structure covering an area of over 4,000 square meters. It contains 47 rooms of various sizes, including an underground command center and a communications transmission room. The basement is up to 26 meters below ground level, designed to be resistant to nuclear bombs and radiation. The walls consist of four layers of steel plates, making them extremely sturdy. There are four exits from the basement corridors, each equipped with multiple blast-proof, waterproof, and gas-proof steel doors weighing 500 kilograms each. It also has its own power generation and water supply systems, allowing it to function independently as long as food reserves are available.