Amazing China - Mega Projects 1

This video clip shows renovation of the Sanyuan Bridge - an important traffic corridor in Beijing. The central columns of this bridge, on a major Beijing highway, were dismantled in just six hours and cleared away within 24 hours.

这是北京的一条交通要道三元桥在换桥梁。但令人惊讶的是，这样一个级别的工程，拆除旧桥梁只用了6个小时，清理完成也仅仅用了24小时。

Then 70 minutes later, new beams were already in place! After concreting and laying asphalt, entire construction was completed in 43 hours. Locals going to work on Monday didn't even notice the bridge had been renovated!

70分钟后，新桥梁就换完了！加上浇铸混凝土、铺沥青，整个工程一共用了43小时。周一上班时，北京人甚至都没发觉三元桥已经焕然一新了！

Foreigners are impressed by this video, commenting that comparable projects typically take years and cost dozens of times more than original estimates in their countries.

这真的是惊呆了其他国家的小伙伴，他们纷纷表示，这样的工程在其他国家需要耗费好几年以及几十倍的费用。

Bridge construction in China appears something of a magic trick. So China is dubbed "Infrastructure Magician."

中国的桥梁建设简直像是变魔术，难怪人们现在都称中国为“基建狂人”。

Of the world's ten tallest bridges, eight can be found in China with five of them built in the last five years.

世界十大最高大桥里，有八座在中国！而其中有五座都是近五年内造的。

And here is the chart-topper, the Beipanjiang Bridge, 565 meters high, stands equivalent to a 200-storey skyscraper! So, you could put the Empire State Building under this bridge and still have enough space for a hundred more storeys!

世界第一高北盘江大桥，有565米高，这个高度相当于一座200层的摩天大楼！也就是说，你在桥底塞一座美国帝国大厦都还有100层的富余空间！

It also has amazing "bones" - the steel-cables, which are as significant as other parts. When connecting the cables and pulling them straight, it can extend longer than the distance between Beijing and New York. No wonder an awestruck BBC reporter called it 'China's impossible engineering feat.'

同时，它还拥有令人惊叹的“骨骼”——桥梁的钢索，和大桥的其他部分一样堪称“史诗级”。如果把这座桥的钢丝连在一起并拉直，它的长度比从北京到纽约的距离还远。难怪BBC对此惊叹，称它为“中国不可思议的宏伟工程”。

Despite the complicated geology of the area, this bridge was completed in just five years. Meanwhile, a combination of various technologies were featured, including smart concrete for automatic even flow, smart checkup and data recording on bridge conditions, as well as Cloud Health Keeper to detect problems and send out alerts when necessary.

尽管大桥的周围地质结构复杂，但中国在五年内就建成了，而且还采用了各种智能科技技术——自动均匀流动的智能混凝土，定时做健康情况检测，发现生病自动报警的智能健康云管家等。

The construction was completed in such a short time with a futuristic design. How much would this cost? 150 million US dollars! For the scale of this project, it is so cost efficient that foreign countries are bursting with envy.

建造得如此之快，并且还充满科技感，这得多少钱？1.5亿美元！对于如此规模的项目而言，这个价格实在是相当便宜！简直让网友们都炸了！

But if you think that's impressive, just take a look at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to be completed this November - full of fantasy and futuristic facade. During its 55-kilometer stretch, it takes traffic through an immersed tunnel, some 6,000 meters in length, between two artificial islands.

如果这就让人惊叹不已的话，那么真应该再看看中国今年11月底即将完工的港珠澳大桥。这绝对是一座极具未来感的魔幻科技大桥。在全长55公里的行程中，你会进入一条6000米左右的隧道，穿行于两座人工岛之间。

How does the tunnel balance forces of gravity and buoyancy? How come it doesn't sink? And how was it built undersea? Whatever the complex construction and calculations involved, Chinese engineers have figured them all out! So forget the math and just enjoy the ride!

隧道是如何平衡地心引力和水面浮力的呢？它不会沉下去吗？怎么在海底建造？不管计算和建造起来有多复杂，总之中国工程师们成功解决了这些问题！所以管他呢，尽情享受吧！

As for highways, China now boasts the largest expressway mileage in the world!

而另一边，在高速公路方面，中国拥有着全世界最多的高速公路通车里程数！

The Jingxin Expressway, connecting Urumqi City in the west with Beijing in the east, is dubbed China's "Route 66."

京新高速，是一条从中国西部的乌鲁木齐一直连接到东部的北京的高速公路，被称为中国版“66号公路”。

With a length of 2,540 kilometers, it's the world's longest road traversing through the desert. You will find beautiful and varying scenery along the journey - deserts and plains, valleys and hills, glorious vistas of star-filled skies... abundant views for everyone to enjoy.

这条全长2540公里的公路，是世界上穿越沙漠戈壁最长的一条高速公路。当你驾车行驶在这条路上就会发现沿途的风景不仅优美而且变化丰富。大漠戈壁，山谷丘陵，草原星空，应有尽有。

But this project had to contend with some of the most difficult conditions challenging civil engineers – with a limited water supply, more than a hundred sandstorms per year, and surface temperatures ranging from subzero to an asphalt-melting 50-degree-plus ℃, depending on locations and time of year.

然而这条美丽的公路建设起来却并不轻松，工人们得在极其恶劣的环境下进行艰苦地工作。有限的水源，每年100多场沙尘暴，地表温度会根据地点和全年不同时段变化，有时是零度以下的酷寒，有时是能让沥青都融化的50度燥热。

Yet, the entire project was accomplished in just 6 years!

让人惊讶的是，整个工程完成只用了6年！

There's a Chinese saying: "You wanna be rich? First build a road!" And President Xi Jinping has quoted it as well.

中国有句老话：“要想富，先修路！”中国领导人习近平主席也引用了这句话。

During the past five years, the Chinese government has recognized the importance of transportation in economic growth and invested heavily in infrastructure.

5年来，中国一直大力发展基础建设，是因为中国政府认识到交通运输对经济发展有着直接的影响。

With easier road access, people can travel more conveniently, thus facilitating trades and businesses. For example, the Beipanjiang Bridge has reduced the traveling time from 6h to 1h. Jingxin Expressway has shortened the traveling mileage between Beijing and Xinjiang by 1,300km.

路通了，人们出行就更加方便，贸易也随之被带动。如北盘江大桥，让原本需要6小时的车程，缩短为仅需1小时。京新高速的通车，让北京到新疆两地里程缩短1300多公里。

Today, Chinese engineers continue to create splendid works. They are determined to open up road access to people in the remotest villages.

现在，中国工程师们还在建造更多更壮丽的工程，他们心怀雄心壮志，希望把路网铺到中国的每一处，甚至是最偏远的村庄。

Not limited to these fields, China has also made great achievements in harbor and railway construction. Let's learn more about that in our next episode.

“基建狂人”中国在基建方面的成就不仅限于此，下一集，我们将探讨拥有更加“疯狂”成绩的中国港口及中国铁路。