World's highest bridge opens new chapter for tourism in SW China's Guizhou

Yin Hengbin, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, speaks at a meeting during the fourth session of the 14th NPC on March 6. (Photo/Wang Min)

"The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge has opened a new door for high-quality tourism development in Anshun city (southwest China's Guizhou Province). It has slashed travel time across the canyon from two hours to just two minutes," said Yin Hengbin, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, at a meeting during the fourth session of the 14th NPC on March 6.

Yin spoke with unmistakable pride about the world's highest bridge.

The 2,890-meter-long structure, soaring 625 meters above the Beipan River, has not only reshaped Anshun's position as a hub within the central Guizhou urban cluster, but has also given the province a striking new landmark to show the world.

For Yin, the bridge's value has never been simply about getting from A to B. "Huangguoshu Waterfall is just half an hour away — the bridge and the waterfall are the unique advantages of Anshun," he said, adding that they are a testament to how thoughtfully tourism and infrastructure can be integrated.

During the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge scenic area received 550,000 tourist visits, and nightly light shows extended the average visitor stay to more than four hours.

"Anshun is using the bridge as a pivot to link it with immersive night tours at Huangguoshu Waterfall, the lively atmosphere of Anshun Ancient City, and Tunpu culture dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), so that visitors have plenty to do, more reasons to stay longer, and more opportunities to spend," Yin said.

The bridge's impact on the livelihoods of locals has been equally tangible. Since it opened, more than 200 restaurants and B&Bs have taken root in the surrounding area, nearly 1,000 local residents have found employment, and a number of migrant workers have returned home to start their own businesses. Villages that were once quiet and overlooked are now finding new life.

As Yin put it, the ultimate measure of a tourism industry's success is whether ordinary people benefit — whether more of them can earn a living in the places where they grew up.