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China’s Bridges
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China’s Bridges

Research Report on the Development of Bridge Infrastructure

Liu Shiping, Ji Zhongxi and Fan Xi
Xinhua, 2016
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Editorial Rating

8

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Recommendation

Thousands of years ago, China excelled in the art of bridge construction. After decades of striving to catch up with its Western counterparts, the country is now reclaiming the top spot when it comes to number and style of bridges. To document this realm, China’s official news agency Xinhua produced a series of reports on China’s modern-era bridge-building achievements. Among the articles they published on the same day, this piece stands out as the most thorough and informative – offering vivid descriptions and sound opinions as well as panoramic perspectives. Given the source of this article, you would expect nothing short of exuberant celebration of China’s bridge-building skills – and the article delivers. However, the information is solid, so don’t let your skepticism get the better of you. getAbstract recommends this article to executives in transportation, infrastructure markets and construction companies and to people with an appreciation for fine craftsmanship and engineering.

Summary

In the 1950s, China focused all the resources it could gather on construction of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge. The bridge, which was the first bridge across the country’s longest river, was a national priority and was finished in 1957. Fifty years later, more than 100 bridges cross the Yangtze River and more than one million bridges exist in China overall.

As China expands its highway network, the number of its highway bridges grows accordingly. By the end of 2016, it had risen to more than 800,000. Railway crossings that year topped 200,000, also because of the rapid expansion of high-speed railways which use these bridges as well. 

As new technologies emerge at an increasing pace, Chinese bridges are constantly setting...

About the Authors

Liu Shiping, Qi Zhongxi, and Fan Xi are reporters at Xinhua News Agency, the official press agency of the People’s Republic of China.

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