Mseke Alice Anthony, a Tanzanian student at the Guizhou Medical University (southwest), does not go unnoticed with her magnificent African braids. She spent more than two years in China, discovering both Chinese medicine and culture.
She wants to focus on learning medicine while hoping to have more opportunities to discover China. In recent years, Alice has visited many Chinese cities, including Chengdu, Qingdao, and more. While exploring China, she was amazed by the many changes and developments that have taken place in the country in recent years.
Recalling her most memorable experiences during her travels in China, Alice immediately mentioned the new bridges that have risen from the earth, especially the Beipanjiang Bridge, the highest bridge in the world located in Guizhou Province.
Last August, Alice participated with foreign students from several Chinese universities in a summer camp “Know-how in Guizhou” organized by Guizhou Medical University. They visited several districts of this province to discover intangible culture and see for themselves the changes brought by development. A key stop of this summer camp was the visit to the Beipanjiang Bridge.
“This bridge is truly spectacular, and above all, walking across it is a very exciting experience,” exclaimed Alice, still overcome with emotion.
She took many photos of the bridge to show her family and friends, so that they too could “see up close” the world-class bridges made by the Chinese.
The Beipanjiang Bridge, located in the border area between the provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan and with a total length of 1341.4 meters, is to date the highest bridge in the world, rising approximately 565 meters above above the valley, the equivalent of the height of a 200-story building. This cable-stayed bridge is essentially made of steel and reinforced concrete.
But beyond the height of the high-tech bridge necessary for its construction, we must especially note the profound changes it brings to economic development, population mobility and connectivity towards the outside of the mountainous regions of the Guizhou.
Alice was particularly amazed that the time taken to cross the gorge dropped from several hours on mountain roads to just over a minute today after the bridge was built. “The Beipanjiang Bridge brings great convenience to local residents’ travel. I heard that the local government has also developed tourism projects focusing on the bridge, which makes it even more valuable,” Alice observes.
Set among rugged mountains and canyons, Guizhou is home to nearly half of the world’s 100 tallest bridges. Currently, the province has more than 30,000 bridges built or under construction. Due to the large number and diversity of bridges, Guizhou is nicknamed the “bridge museum”.
The changes in Guizhou’s transportation brought about by the commissioning of the bridge also reminded Alice of the transformations that occurred in her native region after the arrival of the high-speed train. “There is a railway that runs near my mother’s workplace, which makes it easier for local people to travel. Moreover, this railway line was built with the help of China,” Alice recalls.
