World's highest bridge in southwest China gains popularity among tourists

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Beipanjiang Bridge in southwest China, the world's highest bridge, has become a popular tourist attraction boasting an integration of heartpounding extreme sports and breathtaking scenery.   Construction of the bridge began in 2013 and was completed in 2016. The bridge sits over 565.4 meters above a valley, equivalent to the height of a building with over 200 stories.   Spanning 1,341.4 meters, the bridge links Duge Township of Liupanshui in Guizhou Province with Puli Township of Xuanwei in southwest China's Yunnan Province.   The bridge has significantly improved local transportation and is providing a substantial boost to tourism in the area.   "Before the bridge was built, if we wanted to go out of the village, we had to climb up the mountain first, then down the mountain to the river, often taking four hours. Now we can earn a living at home, as tourists from many countries including Britain, Germany, France, Russia, Israel and Lebanon are coming to visit my hometown," said Ma Xuanjun, a local villager.   Thanks to the popularity of the Beipanjiang Bridge, over 10 homestays and farm stays have emerged in the region, leading to a rapid growth in rural tourism.

"Since the Beipanjiang Bridge was completed, we have combined its transportation benefits with tourism initiatives. For example, we organized high-bridge low-altitude skydiving competition events in recent years, which has attracted more visitors as the bridge increased its popularity," said Zhu Rong, a local official on culture and tourism.   Another bridge crossing the Beipanjiang River is the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, which has incorporated tourism elements right from the start of its construction. A series of projects aiming at blending bridge infrastructure with tourism has been planned.   The 2,890-meter-long Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, with a designed height of 625 meters between the bridge deck and the Beipanjiang River below, is set to be the highest bridge in the world after it is completed in 2025.   Guizhou has built several iconic bridges and integrated the bridges with various industries including tourism, culture and sports by establishing attractions such as bridge museums, astronomical science museums and cliffside hotels. By doing so, the province aims to breathe new life into its cultural and tourism sectors.

World's highest bridge in southwest China gains popularity among tourists

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Chinese businesswoman in Lebanon on Tuesday said China's evacuation of its citizens from the Middle East country was swift.

The first batch of 69 Chinese citizens, along with 11 of their foreign family members, have been evacuated from Lebanon and safely arrived in Cyprus on Tuesday as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified in southern Lebanon. 

Eliana Ibrahim, president of the China Arab Association for Promoting Cultural and Commercial Exchange, who has lived in Lebanon for over two decades, talked about the latest situation in Lebanon during in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN). 

"We all know Lebanon is in such kind of situation, but really for everybody's life it's quite different. The people in the south of Lebanon, they have to leave their houses. They are sleeping on the street and they're sleeping in the public school which opened by the government to host them. Some of them rent houses in the north of Lebanon or they live in their relatives' houses," she said. 

The killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday marks a major escalation in the long-running conflict and deepens fears of a wider regional war.

"The only explosion I heard was the one on Friday, the one which was targeting the leader of Hezbollah. That was the huge one and the other explosions, I never heard that," Eliana Ibrahim said.

She said she kept contact with the Chinese Embassy in Lebanon about the evacuation plans. She believes the Chinese authorities have made quick response to the worsening sitution in the Middle East country. 

"I was the witness of the 2006 evacuation of the Chinese people in Lebanon. So I shared my experience with the Chinese embassy and I gave them all the support because we have a travel agency. We know from where we can rent buses. So all of this information was already requested by the Chinese embassy one year ago. It's even quicker than I thought," she said. 

Cyprus, the closest European Union member state to the Middle East, is a hub for evacuees, having handled an influx of around 60,000 people fleeing the Hezbollah-Israel war in 2006.

Chinese citizens swiftly evacuated from Lebanon amid escalating Israel-Hezbollah crossfire