Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

Origins and Meaning of “404”

• “404” is the real three‑digit factory code from 1958, not a web joke; any similarity to HTTP 404 is described as coincidence but “poetic.”
• Commenters discuss China’s broader practice of numbering military units and factories; 404 fits into a wider coded system (e.g., other numbered plants).

Life in the Nuclear City

• The memoir describes a closed, elite industrial city in the Gobi with Soviet-style architecture, high Beijing‑level salaries, and danwei welfare (housing, food rations, services).
• For children it felt like a well-provisioned, magical home (even with a zoo in the desert); for adults it was pressure, secrecy, and sacrifice.
• Residents developed pride and a sense of superiority (down to license plates), which made the city’s later disappearance and relocation psychologically wrenching.

Secrecy, Security, and Historical Memory

• Travel to/from the base once required permits; the main control was psychological: “secrecy education” from primary school and the idea the city didn’t exist.
• The author says the program’s builders saw themselves as nation‑builders; after the system collapsed many lost meaning.
• On the Great Famine, the author recalls family stories, notes it’s widely understood as man‑made, and describes lasting food anxiety among older people.

Nuclear Risk and Contamination

• A story about a worker with necrotic, radioactive hands and the burning of all contaminated objects shapes the author’s lasting fear of nuclear power.
• Some commenters argue this reflects bad governance and early‑program roughness, not nuclear energy per se; others question how “clean” nuclear can be given rare but severe failures.

AI Translation and Authenticity Debate

• The article and many replies were written in Chinese and translated with an LLM; the author’s spoken English is decent but writing weaker.
• This sparks a long meta‑thread: some feel AI tone is “off” and prefer imperfect human English; others argue AI‑assisted translation is legitimate and crucial for non‑native speakers.
• Skepticism about the story’s truthfulness emerges but is countered by links to the 2016 Chinese original, Chinese news coverage, and Chinese encyclopedic entries.

Parallels and Details

• Commenters compare 404 to U.S. and Soviet closed nuclear cities (Hanford, Mayak, Siberian towns) and share analogous family histories.
• Coordinates of the site are located and satellite images discussed, including visible tailings and a coal power plant.