China - amazing bridges

China - one of the oldest civilization on Earth. Nowadays it has population of 1.32 billion and 3.7 million square miles. China is a communist state. But China is the second country in the volume of scientific papers published and has more students and universities than any other country. That is why China - in my opinion - is the world's leader in science and techology.

To prove this look at the pictures below.

China’s Hangzhou Bay Trans-oceanic Bridge is one of the masterpieces of modern architecture. It is the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world - 36 kilometres - and comes with a price tag of 11.8 billion yuan (US$1.70 billion). Opened in May 2008, some 600 Chinese engineers, draftsmen, architects and designers spent 9 years on planning, preparation and design of the bridge. It is an S-shaped stayed-cable bridge linking Ningbo's Cixi county in the south to Jiaxing in the north. The Bridge has a 6-lane motorway which shaves 120 kms off the driving journey between Shanghai and Ningbo. There  are also 2 extra lanes reserved for backup and emergency use.

What is so unique about the Hangzhou Bay Bridge is that it has a 10,000 sq. metre service centre right in its middle. The centre has a restaurant, petrol kiosk, hotel, conference rooms, and a lookout tower from where visitors  can observe the extraordinary tide and waves of Hangzhou Bay. The service centre is like an artificial island which rests on piers to avoid obstructing the sea current in the Bay. Two public parks are also being planned on either side of the bridge.

Hangzhou Bay is known for it’s tides and waves -  a natural wonder and a major tourist attraction.  The waves move at speeds reaching 30 kph and at times, sound like the roar of thunder. The S-shaped bridge was  specially designed and built to withstand  typhoon and hurricane weather.

 大桥是中国自行设计、自行管理、自行投资、自行建造的，工程创6项世界或国内之最，用钢量相当于7个“鸟巢”。可以抵抗12级以上台风。