Engineering scales new heights in Guizhou

Guizhou province in Southwest China is definitely the best place to marvel at modern engineering and infrastructure, not just in China, but possibly in the world.

Over the past week, I drove across some of the highest bridges in the world, including the Yachi River Bridge, the Beipan River Bridge (also known as the Duge Bridge), the Baling River Bridge and the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge.

Relaxing in my hotel room facing the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge — the highest in the world at 625 meters above the river surface and with a main span of 1,420 meters — was one of the highlights of my trip to the beautiful province.

It offered food for thought on China's remarkable achievements in infrastructure. The bridge, which surpassed the Beipan River Bridge as the world's highest bridge, opened to traffic 10 months ago.

Guizhou, known for its rough terrain and high plateau, is aptly described by a local proverb as a place with "no three days of clear skies and no three feet of flat land".

More than 90 percent of the province is covered by mountains and hills. Karst rock formations create many deep valleys, sharp peaks, caves and underground rivers.

During my last visit to Guizhou about 25 years ago, I saw locals, including women, carrying heavy loads along narrow, winding mountain paths. But this time, such scenes were rare, with only a few people carrying heavy loads for short distances within villages. It shows how infrastructure has changed the lives of ordinary people.

Guizhou boasts some 32,000 bridges, including some still under construction. Nearly half of the world's 100 highest bridges are in Guizhou, earning the province the label of "the world bridge museum".

I still remember the excitement when the Nanpu Bridge, the first to span the Huangpu River in downtown Shanghai, opened to traffic in November 1991.

Living nearby, my wife and I took our five-month-old daughter in her stroller for a walk on the bridge before its official opening.

With a main span of 423 meters and standing 46 meters above the river, it was a huge relief for many people who previously commuted by ferry every day.

The impact of these engineering feats on the people in Guizhou, home to several ethnic minority groups, is quite profound.

The two peaks across the Huajiang River are so close that a loud shout from one can be heard at the other. But the trip across the river used to take more than two hours. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge has cut it down to two minutes.

Thanks to its 32,000 bridges, 12,000 tunnels and 10,000 kilometers of expressways, driving in Guizhou has become a delightful experience for tourists.

The province also has cool weather in the summer months when much of China grapples with extreme heat.

While Guizhou ranks low in per capita GDP among Chinese provinces and autonomous regions, its infrastructure, economic strength and the overall living standards of locals have improved dramatically over the past decades.

The potential is huge as Guizhou has emerged as a major big data and AI computing hub in China. Its abundant electric power, cool climate and stable geography have drawn tech giants such as Huawei, Tencent, Apple and China Telecom to establish massive facilities in the province.

In contrast, New York state in the United States, and possibly some other states, is imposing moratoriums on hyperscale data centers due to electricity shortages, which highlights Guizhou's advanced status in the 21st century.

Here's a perspective: the money the US has spent on military operations involving Iran in the past few months could have built the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge more than 100 times over, or laid over 2,000 kilometers of high-speed rail.

I salute the builders of Guizhou's bridges, tunnels, expressways and highways because they were built in the most challenging terrains in the country and possibly in the world. Each of them stands as a testament to China's excellence in modern engineering.

The author is a China Daily columnist.

chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn