AKP Guizhou, September 22, 2025 —

Huajiang Town in China’s mountainous Guizhou Province, already famed for its stunning karst landscape, is pivoting to become a major tourism and cooperation hub on the strength of a new, colossal landmark: the Huajiang Gorge Bridge, now officially the world's highest.

The town, located in Guanling County, Anshun City, is leveraging the bridge’s global notoriety to promote local economic drivers, including premium agriculture, traditional medicine, and experiential tourism, according to local officials.

"The Huajiang Gorge Bridge is our new world landmark," said Xu Daihui, Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party of Huajiang Town, during a press briefing for journalists covering the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on Sept. 21 afternoon. "While engineers focus on the scale of the structure, we are focused on the business and cultural landscape that this bridge opens up."

Guanling County, an ethnic autonomous county primarily inhabited by the Buyei and Miao groups, bases its identity and economy on three key "business cards":

• Guanling Cattle: The region’s cattle are raised on a unique diet that includes Chinese herbs and mountain spring water, and are reportedly played ethnic minority songs. This high-quality beef won the prestigious Panama Prize.

• Chinese Herbal Medicine: The county has dedicated significant resources to cultivating traditional Chinese herbs and operates a regional drug distribution center.

• Tourism Resources: Huajiang is strategically positioned near the 5A-level Huangguoshu Waterfall and boasts a National Geological Park for Paleofossils, ski resorts, and other natural attractions. The new Huajiang Gorge Bridge now anchors this tourism portfolio.

Huajiang is being developed as a central hub for experiencing the bridge and its surrounding landscape. Officials highlighted an extraordinary "360-degree viewing experience" featuring dedicated check-in points built to help visitors capture the bridge’s majesty.
The town is promoting a multi-modal approach to bridge viewing:

• Water: Visitors can take yachts and speedboats on the river valley beneath the bridge.

• Land: Dedicated car check-in points have been established.

• Air: The town offers airships and helicopter tours. A new airship service is set to connect the Bailing River Bridge to the Hua River Gorge Bridge. A one-minute helicopter ride from the town can also take guests through the adjacent Grand Canyon.

"The scenery here is breathtaking, resembling a magnificent national landscape painting," Xu said, describing the area's natural beauty carved by the unique karst topography.

Local officials acknowledged that the challenging terrain historically hindered the region's development. However, they credit national investment and infrastructure programmes with ushering in rapid modernization over the last two decades.

"Thanks to the Comprehensive National Power of our country, we have achieved earthshaking changes," Xu stated, citing the construction of bridges, mountain roads, and hardened roads in every village, which have led to full high-speed connectivity within the county.

The town is also keen to highlight its local gastronomy, urging visitors to try the fresh river fish, delicious beef, and "a variety of authentic local food and snacks."

Xu concluded the briefing by welcoming journalists to document the town's transformation. "May your pen (or camera) become a bridge between different cultures and document the wonderful story of the Belt and Road cooperation."

By K. Rithy Reak