The base has the "World's Largest Artificial Cave". The project was started in 1966 when Sino-Soviet relations dramatically declined (see also the Sino-Soviet split). To enhance China's national defence and prevent possible Soviet invasion and nuclear attack, the project was approved (directly by then-Premier Zhou Enlai) and undertaken in secret. More than 60,000 engineering soldiers of the People's Liberation Army participated in the construction of the base. The underground base was designed to be able to tolerate thousands of tons of TNT explosives and 8-magnitude earthquakes.

The surface area of the cave is more than 104,000 m2, and the total length of the tunnels is more than 20 kilometers. The whole complex has a total of 18 artificial caves linked to each other, and has more than 130 roads and tunnels. Automobiles such as cars are able to pass the roads and tunnels inside. The largest artificial cave has a height of 79.6 meters, and is roughly equal to that of a 20-floor building.

The project was under construction for 17 years, and the construction was nearly completed in 1984. Largely due to change in the Cold War international situation, the project was cancelled in February 1984. It was further declassified in April 2002. In April 2010, after 40 years of closure, the base was opened to tourists.