The ‘Iron Dam’ that became China’s deadliest secret

27/07/2025 55 min

Listen "The ‘Iron Dam’ that became China’s deadliest secret"

Episode Synopsis

Fifty years ago, the Banqiao Dam in Henan collapsed, taking as many as 230,000 lives with it. This testament to Mao-era engineering hubris and political fanaticism was the worst structural failure and deadliest industrial disaster in human history, yet to this day, few inside or outside of China know anything about it.For show notes, transcript and photos of the Banqiao disaster, go to www.chinachronicles.org

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