The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge opens, 625 meters above the river

What happens in the video

New China TV, the English-language YouTube channel of the Xinhua news agency, posted this recorded broadcast on September 28, 2025, the day the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge opened to traffic. It runs a little under 18 minutes. According to the description, the program follows the bridge's construction, why it matters and what it changes for the region: after three years of work, a trip across the canyon that used to take two hours now takes about two minutes.

The thumbnail captures why the bridge drew so much attention. Seen from the air, a slender suspension bridge with two tall towers stretches across a deep, green karst gorge, with a river winding far below and switchback roads climbing the slopes on either side. It is the kind of landscape that explains why this part of China needs so many bridges in the first place.

How high is the world's highest bridge?

China Daily's opening-day report put the deck about 625 meters above the water, over the Huajiang section of the Beipan River. The main span is 1,420 meters, which China Daily called the longest main span for a bridge in mountainous terrain. Construction began in 2022, and the opening completed the expressway between the Liuzhi special district and Anlong county.

The height record became official in April 2026, when Guinness World Records certified the bridge as the world's highest at 626.01 meters, according to Xinhua. It took the title from another Guizhou crossing over the same river, the 565.4-meter Beipanjiang Bridge, certified in 2018. Xinhua reported that BeiDou satellite positioning equipment supported the height survey. The structure is a steel-truss suspension bridge built by the Guizhou Communications Investment Group.

Guizhou is famous among engineers for exactly this reason. Its rugged karst plateau is cut by deep river valleys, and the provincial transport department told China Daily that Guizhou has built, or is building, more than 32,000 bridges and holds nearly half of the world's 100 tallest.

How to visit the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge

The bridge carries an expressway, so it has become a destination in its own right through the facilities built around it. In an April 2026 visitor report republished by the Guizhou provincial government, China Daily described the Yundu service area in Zhenfeng county as the visitor center. From there, attractions include a sightseeing elevator, a glass viewing hall at the middle of the bridge, a rail-free edge walkway, a cafe near midspan and, for the brave, a bungee jump and a BASE-jumping platform. Nearby Huajiang village, a traditional Bouyei village, now has restaurants and guesthouses.

There is no train station at the bridge, so most foreign visitors will arrive by car. Ride-hailing apps can get you there, and our DiDi guide explains how to book a car with an English interface. The booking mini-program runs inside WeChat and, like many mini programs, may be mostly in Chinese; the China travel apps guide covers setting up WeChat before your trip, and a camera translator helps with the rest.

Mandarin for the road trip and the ticket desk

Out in rural Guizhou, English is far less common than in Beijing or Shanghai, so a few phrases help. The destination and route lesson covers talking to a driver, the tickets and prices lesson and the opening hours and reservations lesson cover the ticket desk, and the photos and visitor services lesson helps you get that shot with the bridge behind you.