Across China: Young engineers become tech backbone of world's highest bridge

Wang Songyu climbs onto the catwalk at least once a day to check on the supporting conditions of cables -- an important procedure for building a suspension bridge.

He used to walk on the catwalk timidly and cautiously, but now he has adapted to the height of about two Eiffel Towers, being able to make big strides.

With a design height of 625 meters between the bridge deck and the Beipanjiang River below, the 2,890-meter-long Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province will be the highest in the world when it is completed in 2025.

Wang, 31, works as a deputy project manager from the Guizhou Bridge Construction Group, which currently undertakes the construction of the upper structure of the steel girder suspension bridge.

Since the project started in 2022, numerous engineers and workers have joined in the construction in the hinterland, including young faces like Wang.

It was the first time for Wang to take part in the construction of a steel girder suspension bridge, and this was also his first attempt to shift from a technician to a manager.

To complete this task, he studied the techniques in advance, visited the same type of bridges across the province to learn their experience, and visited the construction site frequently to ensure the safety and quality. His sun-tanned skin made him look older than his age.

Despite the harsh working conditions, Wang was full of passion and insisted on loving what he was doing.

He said the projects he had been engaged in were always in remote mountainous areas with poor infrastructure. He was touched by the enthusiasm and honesty of local people, who prepared tea, led his way in the bushes, and invited him to their homes for meals.

"It's my great honor to build roads and bridges for the benefit of people," said Wang, adding that he had a strong sense of fulfillment when the roads or bridges opened to the traffic.

After the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge is put into operation, the time it takes to cross the canyon will be reduced from approximately 70 minutes to just about a minute by car.

According to Liu Hao, the project's chief engineer, of the 45 engineers from the Guizhou Bridge Construction Group, 32 are under the age of 35.

"Filled with curiosity and passion, young people tend to embrace new things more easily without being affected by experiences. They also have a strong capability to learn," said Liu.

Ouyang Song, 29, returned to work in his hometown of Guizhou after graduating from Shanghai's Tongji University at the age of 22 and now heads the engineering section of the project.

He said that most of his team members were born after 1990. They cooperate very well and discuss and solve problems together.

With 92.5 percent of its land covered by mountains and hills, Guizhou has built nearly 30,000 bridges since the late 1970s and is now home to nearly half of the world's 100 tallest bridges.

In January 2024, a team of engineers who built bridges in Guizhou was awarded the National Engineer Award for their outstanding contributions to engineering technology.

"Guizhou boasts lots of bridges, which have brought me opportunities and challenges," said Ouyang.