Crossing the Lingdingyang River and Connecting Three Places: This world's longest sea crossing bridge brings new opportunities to the Greater Bay Area. Century | Bridge | Longest
At the mouth of the the Pearl River in Guangdong, there is a super large cross sea channel connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao. This is the longest cross sea bridge in the history of world architecture - the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, which has a long journey, a lot of investment, and great construction difficulties. On June 15th, the offline visiting team of "Guangdong Shengwan Area Looking at China with Wide Tides" visited the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, feeling the unique charm of this "century bridge" and perceiving the new opportunities brought by the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge to the development of the Greater Bay Area.
Photo by Wang Jianing, journalist from Global Network of Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge
The Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Cross Sea Bridge has a total length of 55 kilometers, connecting the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the east and the Zhuhai and Macao Special Administrative Regions in Guangdong Province to the west. It integrates bridges, islands, and tunnels, and is the first large-scale cross sea transportation infrastructure project jointly built by the three regions. On October 24, 2018, the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge was officially opened, achieving a land connection between Zhuhai, Macao, and Hong Kong. "After the completion of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, it is very convenient for Hong Kong and Macao to travel between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, greatly facilitating the exchange and connection between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao," said Wang Yanlin, Assistant Director of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge Management Bureau.
![Crossing the Lingdingyang River and Connecting Three Places: This world's longest sea crossing bridge brings new opportunities to the Greater Bay Area. Century | Bridge | Longest](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/ddb1de771cb1df5fc91207a20fb6462b.jpg)
Wang Yanlin witnessed the construction and operation of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge with his own eyes, putting in a lot of effort for this "century bridge". When talking about the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, a smile often appears on his face. In the 15 year construction process of the bridge, facing significant challenges brought by new technologies, processes, and materials, the bridge builders have adhered to the path of "standardization leading engineering construction and technological innovation". Based on the current standards in mainland China, by appropriately incorporating and integrating relevant standards from Hong Kong, Macao, and international regions, a bridge specific technical standard system containing 57 standards has been formed, effectively ensuring the high-level industrial construction and major technological breakthroughs of the bridge.
Since its opening, the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge has become an important personnel and trade channel in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. It is of great significance for promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area and comprehensively promoting mutually beneficial cooperation between the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao. According to customs statistics, as of May 2023, the total import and export value of Zhuhai Port via the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge was 639 billion yuan, of which 269.73 billion yuan was imported and exported in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 96.1%. The shipping and receiving areas of goods cover 31 provinces in mainland China and 235 countries worldwide, and the "circle of friends" of foreign trade continues to expand.
Photo by Wang Jianing, journalist from Global Network of Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge
![Crossing the Lingdingyang River and Connecting Three Places: This world's longest sea crossing bridge brings new opportunities to the Greater Bay Area. Century | Bridge | Longest](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/04514ea5caae20d197c52f59a8c61593.jpg)
Like a giant dragon, the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge lies horizontally on the blue waves of Lingdingyang, closely connecting the flow of elements between Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macao. Personnel, logistics, and economic and trade exchanges are more convenient and efficient. We believe that in the future, cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao will further develop at a deeper level.