Image | CNN.com
The taste for mega-buildings in China is well known. Not only because it allows them to show the power of national engineering, but also because they create structures worthy of being transformed into mass tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower or the San Francisco Bridge.
The latest mega-construction inaugurated in the Asian country is a bridge raised to 218 meters over a valley and 488 meters long in the province of Hebei. Built by the firm Bailu Group, the presentation ceremony was attended by about 3.000 tourists who were able to see in person what it is like to walk on a transparent bridge between two cliffs within the Hongyagu Natural Park.
With these measures, Hongyagu is the longest bridge in the world, capable of withstanding up to 6-magnitude earthquakes and hurricanes of force 12 according to the Beaufort scale. Now, what other bridges or mega-constructions does China have capable of breaking records? We discover them below.
Zhangjiajie Bridge
Until the Hongyagu Bridge was inaugurated, the longest in the world was in the Zhangjiajie Nature Park, a structure 430 meters long and 300 meters high. It is located in the Zhangjiajie Natural Park, in the province of Hunan, which has been recognized since 1992 as a World Heritage Site. by UNESCO, being one of the most visited in China.
Qingdao Water Bridge
Over Jiaozhou Bay, the Qingdao Bridge was erected, the longest over water on Earth. Its construction took the record away from another Chinese bridge, the one located in Hangzhou Bay which up to now was considered the longest in the world over the waters of the sea, with 36 kilometers in length.
This mega-construction has a length of 42,5 kilometers and has six lanes through which traffic circulates in both directions. It has more than 5.200 pylons and its manufacture required millions of tons of steel and concrete.
Currently next to the Qingdao Bridge a small artificial island is being built that serves as a rest area for travelers, so that they can refuel their cars, have a snack or do some shopping.
Guangzhou Underground Line
The longest tunnel in the world for public transport is located in Guangzhou, another of the large cities in the south of the country. This mega-construction allows to travel 60 kilometers by subway without going to the surface.
Baipanjiang Bridge
The Beipanjiang Bridge is not suitable for those with a fear of heights. It is located 565 meters above the Nizhu river canyon, in the south of the country, and connects the provinces of Yunnam and Guizhou in two hours When in the old days there were cities that were five hours away by car.
The photos that can be taken from around the Beipanjiang Bridge are spectacular. The mist between the mountains spreads across the landscape as if it wanted to engulf the bridge that was born between the rocks.
Image via Rail Travel
Liupanshui Railway Bridge
This bridge holds the title of the highest railway bridge in the world. It was opened in 2001 and is located in Liupanshui. In 2009 it lost its title of highest arch bridge in the world but still retains the aforementioned.
Special mention deserves the method followed for its construction, which was described as super ingenious. The reason is that instead of using two temporary towers in each abutment to build the arch, it was made in two halves on falsework, each one on one side of the ravine. The first pile at each end served as a tie rod.
Once the halves of the arches were finished, the piles were turned 180º until they faced the arches. Then the halves were put together and the board and the rest of the piles were built.
Aizhai Bridge
It is a marvel of civil engineering in the city of Jishou suspended above the Hunan Dehang canyon 355 meters above the ground. At 1.176 meters long, it connects the ends of two tunnels that make up the Jishou-Chadong highway, built above a beautiful valley.
Karakorum, the highest highway
To end the post from the heights we will talk about Karakorum, a highway and mega-construction at 5.000 meters high that connects western China and northern Pakistan through one of the most dangerous and rugged areas of the continent as it runs through three great mountain ranges such as the Karakorum range, the Pamir range and the Himalayas.
As a curiosity, the route along the Karakorum highway was part of the Silk Road in the past and is currently considered a symbol of cooperation and friendship between the two countries.