The story
Panzhihua Steel was built as part of the Third Front campaign to develop basic industry and national defense industry in China's interior in order to be prepared for the risk of foreign invasion. Because planners chose locations based on military defense considerations, Panzhihua Steel was built on the side of a mountain, unlike most steel factories which are built on flat land. To ensure that the facility had the level foundation necessary for steel production, workers built the factory on massive steps carved out of the slope. Instead of the internal track system common to steel factories, technicians used a cable system to connect different parts of the facility to better adapt to the local terrain.
Consistent with the Third Front construction's emphasis on secrecy due to national security concerns, the completion of the Panzhihua facility was not promoted at the time. Today, the city government of Panzhihua promotes it as a model of Chinese technological ingenuity.
Panzhihua Steel built a hospital in 1970, and over the next eight years developed a gynecology ward, an ear, nose, and throat ward, and a pediatric ward. Its ratio of medical workers to workers exceeded 61 times the average ratio for rural areas.
From Wikipedia’s article on Panzhihua Iron and Steel, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3