In the folds of the continuous mountains of western Hubei, Niejiahe Town quietly spreads along the terrain — every red-brick building here is a footnote of an era, witnessing a period of national defense "preparation for war and hardship."

The soul of this small town is hidden in the old shadows of Research Institute 717. Everything here follows the six-character principle of "backed by mountains, dispersed, and concealed." The "Third Front memory" here is not a silent ruin, but a living archive recording the nation's fortunes during a specific era.

The construction of Niejiahe Town strictly followed the practices of the late 1960s through the 1980s. During that period, this place was an important gathering site for national defense research units, where the core task of developing a starlight navigation system for nuclear submarines was carried out.

Most representative are the continuous arched factory buildings built of blue brick—these complexes, which once held the nation's highest secrets, were part of a military-industrial cluster hidden in the deep mountains that, under the "dig deep tunnels, store abundant grain" strategy, forged a strong shield for national security. Built in the late 1960s through the 1980s, the site was laid out strictly according to Third Front construction principles. Research buildings, assembly workshops, and dormitory areas formed a complete Third Front social ecology.

Most of the red-brick buildings are idle, and parts of the roofs have already collapsed. Landslides threaten the safety of some structures, and the decay of wooden components is accelerating.

Yet in this corner that seems forgotten by time, new vitality is sprouting. Some factory buildings have been converted into military-civilian integration industrial parks, while others are planned as a "Third Front military-industrial culture exhibition center." The blue-brick factories stand quietly, and the heavy bases of the hydraulic bearing test rigs remain in place.

Now, that factory area once covered in brambles is undergoing a transformation.

Some of the factory buildings have been converted into a "Third Line military-industrial culture exhibition center," allowing this period of history to be seen and understood. The renovation of Xiaojiagang Village is not only the revitalization of architecture but also a dialogue across time and space. This once-secret military-industrial town is quietly writing its new chapter.