The main piers of Wanlong, the world's longest self-anchored suspension bridge, had their pile foundations completed on Friday.
The bridge in southern China's Guangzhou City is scheduled to open in 2026 to improve interconnectivity of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Crossing one of the waterways of the Zhujiang River in Nansha District, the Wanlong Bridge has set six world records in bridge span, girders, main cables, main towers and tower construction equipment.
The pile foundations are built on complex geological structures, which have to penetrate through 30 meters of undesirable layers of silt, sand and fractured layers.
After the pile foundations are solidly fixed to the riverbed, the project enters the above-water construction phase.
"We installed the main girders by hoisting large segments with the world's largest tower crane at 20,000 ton/meter rated torque, before we build the steel bridge towers," said Ren Yanlong, chief engineer of the Wanlong Bridge project.
The Wanlong Bridge is designed to connect the ports, railways, highways and city streets in the area and improve Nansha District's capacity as an international logistics center.
China's record-breaking bridge lays foundation
The popular Giant Panda Fu Bao was recently seen feasting away on a fresh bamboo meal while basking in the sunshine at a breeding base in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Video footage showed a series of heartwarming scenes as the beloved four-year-old delightedly munched down her delicious bamboo shoots under the sun, with discarded bamboo peels scattered adorably across her body. The video was captured recently at the Shenshuping base of China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP) in the Wolong National Nature Reserve.
Fu Bao, meaning "lucky treasure", was born in July 2020 in South Korea and was the first panda cub ever born in the country. She is the daughter of giant pandas Ai Bao and Le Bao, who were sent to South Korea from China in 2016 on a 15-year lease.
The young panda captured the hearts of netizens and visitors during her time in South Korea with her adorable appearance and unique charm.
She returned to China in April this year and made her official public debut in Sichuan in June after a period of quarantine.
The CCRCGP is a world-leading institution dedicated to breeding and conserving one of China's national treasures, the giant panda. The center has also established a global platform for promoting international cooperation and exchanges involving 18 zoos from 16 countries and regions, 39 domestic animal breeding institutions, and over 10 scientific research institutes.
Beloved giant panda Fu Bao seen feasting away on fresh bamboo
