China Builds World's Highest Bridges at Breakneck Speed

Guizhou, a province in southwestern China historically plagued by poverty, is now a hub of ambitious infrastructure development, with a particular focus on building bridges at an unprecedented pace. The region boasts the world's highest bridge and has over 32,000 bridges either completed or under construction, a testament to China's strategy of building grand infrastructure to shape its future.

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Build new and grand – that is China's recipe for facing the future.

These colossal projects span vast ravines in Guizhou's mountainous landscape. Building such a bridge now takes approximately three years, drastically reducing travel times between cities. For instance, the journey from Guizhou's capital, Guiyang, to Kunming in the neighboring Yunnan province has been cut from ten hours to five. This improved connectivity has significantly eased life for rural residents, enabling farmers to transport goods to distant markets, a feat previously impractical due to long distances.

The impact extends beyond mere convenience. The bridges and highways have become attractions in themselves, drawing school groups from across China eager to learn about their engineering marvels. Local residents express pride in these structures, with some, like Zhu, a 40-year-old who opened a restaurant near the Beipan River bridge six years ago, capitalizing on the tourism generated. "We walked by and saw how many people were standing here admiring the bridge. Then we thought, we should start a restaurant here," she explained, noting the business's success and her family's improved living standards.

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We walked by and saw how many people were standing here admiring the bridge. Then we thought, we should start a restaurant here.

Despite the economic benefits and local pride, the rapid development is not without its nuances. While the Beipan River bridge, once the world's highest, has brought prosperity, Zhu mentioned that visitor numbers have recently declined. Furthermore, the immense scale of construction comes at a significant cost, with an estimated 1 trillion yuan (approximately $138 billion) invested annually in these projects. This relentless drive for connectivity and modernization underscores China's commitment to overcoming geographical challenges and fostering economic growth through large-scale engineering.

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And it has really gone well, we are happy about what we have created.