Guizhou, a museum of world-class bridges

The Baling River Bridge is located in Guizhou's Anshun city and opened to traffic in 2009. [Photo/WeChat account of Guizhou Fabu]

There are currently 28,023 bridges spanning 4,400 kilometers in Southwest China's Guizhou province, connecting a road network of 210,000 km and benefiting 17 million rural residents in nearly 200,000 villages, according to a news conference held on May 9.

Among them, there are 14,230 expressway bridges spanning 3,900 km and 13,793 ordinary highway bridges spanning 500 km.

By the end of 2022, nearly half of the world's top 100 highest bridges were located in Guizhou, with four of the world's top 10 highest bridges also located in the province.

The Maling River Bridge is located above the Maling River and opened to traffic in 2011. [Photo/WeChat account of Guizhou Fabu]

Fifteen bridges in Guizhou won a total of 25 international and domestic awards. Among them, four won the prestigious Gustav Lindenthal Award, known as the "Nobel Prize of the bridge industry," awarded by the International Bridge Conference (IBC). Only nine bridges in China have ever received the award.

The under-construction Huajiang Canyon Bridge is a world-class bridge with a main span of 1,420 meters and a bridge deck towering at 625 meters above ground. It was funded, designed and built by Guizhou using locally sourced materials.

Efforts to improve bridge infrastructure in Guizhou have been a source of pride and a symbol of the province's rapid economic development. The achievements are a testament to the innovative and visionary spirit that drives China's ongoing struggle towards a better future.