Three world-level projects in China draw acclaim

Many have been amazed by the completion of a string of major projects in China recently and are wondering how they will change people's lives. You may have heard about FAST, however are you familiar with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the desert highway in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region?

FAST

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2016 shows the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. [Photo: Xinhua/Ou Dongqu]

The 500-meter wide Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, is now operational in the mountains of Guizhou Province in southwest China. With a reflector the size of 30 football fields as the main structure, scientists have described FAST as a super-sensitive 'ear' capable of detecting very weak messages from space.

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2016 shows the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. [Photo: Xinhua/Ou Dongqu]

FAST was designed to help Chinese researchers better understand our universe, as well as probe the cosmos for extraterrestrial life. The tasks being undertaken by the FAST telescope include observing pulsars, as well as research into interstellar molecules and communication signals. Scientists have said the potential of FAST to detect alien life is five to ten times greater than the equipment which has been used in the past.

The construction of the 180 million US dollar project began in 2011, 17 years after the plan was originally conceived. The installation of the main structure was completed in early July this year.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge

A map that shows the route of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. [File photo: cccchzmb.com]

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the longest cross-sea bridge in the world, will officially be opened on Wednesday, September 27.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the longest cross-sea bridge in the world, will officially be opened on September 27, 2016. [File photo: baidu.com]

With an investment of around 105 billion yuan (15.7 billion US dollars), the 89-kilometer-long project combines bridges, a tunnel and artificial islands. Both its 37-kilometer-long major bridge and 11-kilometer-long immersed tunnel are the longest in the world and thus make it one of the most challenging projects currently under construction worldwide.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the longest cross-sea bridge in the world, will officially be opened on September 27, 2016. [File photo: cnnb.com.cn]

The bridge will greatly reduce the travel time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong, from over three hours by car or around one hour by sea, to less than 30 minutes. The project will also allow a circumnavigation of the three cities for the first time, taking one hour.

World's longest desert highway

A map that shows the route of the highway connecting Beijing and Urumqi in in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [File photo: baidu.com]

The world's longest desert highway, stretching from Linhe district in Bayan Nur City, to Baigeda in Alxa League, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, opened to traffic on Sunday, September 25. It will shorten the travel time between the two cities by around twelve hours.

The world's longest desert highway, stretching from Linhe district in Bayan Nur City, to Baigeda in Alxa League, in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [File photo: guancha.cn]

The 900-kilometer expressway is just one section of a project linking Beijing to Urumqi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. As part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Beijing-Urumqi highway is set to be fully operational by next June, with a length of more than 2,000 kilometers. Future plans involve building a land bridge between Asia and Europe, ending in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.

The world's longest desert highway, stretching from Linhe district in Bayan Nur City, to Baigeda in Alxa League, in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [File photo: guancha.cn]