August 1st Building

File:180627-D-SV709-0088_Ministry_of_National_Defense.jpg Wei Fenghe holds a welcoming ceremony for Secretary of Defense James Mattis on the August 1st Square, in front of the August 1st Building, on 27 June 2018.]]

The first PLA main office in Beijing was located at 20 Jingshan Qianjie, also known as the "Three Gates" complex (三座门 pinyin:Sānzuòmén).{{efn|not to be confused with the Three Gates inside the Forbidden City, or the Three Gates in the Temple of Heaven}} These facilities were fairly small, so since the 1980s there were plans to build a larger complex. The August 1st building project ("844 Project") started in 1988 under the direction of recently retired head of the PLA General Office, Fu Xuezheng.{{Cite journal |author=傅学正 |year=2006 |title=在中央军委办公厅工作的日子 |url=http://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTotal-DSTD200601002.htm |journal=党史天地 |issue=1 |pages=8–16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026212831/http://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTotal-DSTD200601002.htm |archive-date=2021-10-26 |access-date=2021-10-11}} The construction project broke ground on 2 March 1997, the main structure was completed by 30 October 30, 1997, basically completed the facade and equipment installation by the end of 1998, and the building was fully completed at the end of July 1999. The total investment of the project was RMB 779 million, with a total floor area of 90,255m², for an average cost of 8,631.9RMB/m².。

The August 1st Building was designed by the Fourth Design Institute of the General Staff Department. The main building has 12 floors above the ground and 2 basements. To the south side of the main building there is the August 1st Square, where review ceremonies are held. To the north side there are 12,600m² of green space. On the west side of the building is the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, and to the south, across the Fuxing Road, is the main building of the China State Railway Group (formerly the Ministry of Railways).

The August 1st Building is managed by the Bayi Building Management Service of the General Office of the Central Military Commission.{{Cite web |date=2016-12-13 |title=齐心协力筑平台 潜心尽力育"工匠"——市教育局王新刚副处长、旅游学校陈作亮校长一行访北京人民大会堂、中央军委办公厅八一大楼 |url=http://mt.sohu.com/20161213/n475752898.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084917/http://mt.sohu.com/20161213/n475752898.shtml |archive-date=2016-12-22 |accessdate=2016-12-21 |publisher=搜狐}}

Hardened (nuclear resistant) facilities for military command agencies (such as the headquarters of the Joint Operations Command) are located inside the Western Hills. China is possibly now building a large new underground administrative and command center in the nearby Qinglonghu area.{{Cite web |last=Jian |first=Yong |date=2025-02-03 |title=China building world's biggest military base in prep for US war |url=https://asiatimes.com/2025/02/china-building-worlds-biggest-military-base-in-prep-for-us-war/# |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Asia Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=China building 'doomsday' command 10 times bigger than the Pentagon |url=https://www.afr.com/world/asia/china-builds-doomsday-command-10-times-bigger-than-the-pentagon-20250131-p5l8m4 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}}

• General Office of the Central Military Commission
• Jade Spring Hill, Western Hills
• The Pentagon

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