World’s Highest Bridge Becomes Top Tourist Attraction in China
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, officially certified as the world’s highest bridge with a deck-to-water height of 626.01 meters, has transformed from a mere transportation link into one of China’s most popular tourist destinations. Since opening to traffic on September 28, 2025, the bridge and its integrated tourism service area have received over 1.3 million visitors, with more than 300,000 vehicles passing through, according to People’s Daily.
A Marvel of Engineering
Spanning the Huajiang Grand Canyon in Guizhou Province, southwest China, the bridge connects Zhenfeng County and Guanling Buyi and Miao Autonomous County. With a main span of 1,420 meters and total length of 2,890 meters, it is also the world’s longest-span steel truss suspension bridge in a mountainous canyon.
On April 28, 2026, the bridge received official Guinness World Record certification as the “Highest Bridge,” surpassing the previous record held by the Beipanjiang Bridge at 565.4 meters. “Today’s Guinness World Record certification is not just about physical height, but also about the height of our pursuit in technological capability,” said Liu Hao, the bridge’s chief engineer.
The construction team overcame formidable challenges, including karst terrain with unpredictable underground cavities and extreme winds reaching typhoon strength (Level 14) due to canyon compression effects. Engineers deployed Doppler LiDAR wind monitoring systems and designed aerodynamic stabilizers to manage wind forces, as Han Hongju, Deputy General Manager and Chief Engineer of Guizhou Jiaotou Group, explained to Guizhou Broadcasting Station.
The “Bridge-Tourism 3.0” Model
What sets the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge apart is its pioneering “bridge-tourism integration” approach, now in its third generation. Li Can, Market Operations Director of the bridge-tourism service area, described the evolution: Version 1.0 (Balinghe Bridge) allowed climbing but had no service area; Version 2.0 (Pingtang Bridge) had hotels but couldn’t be climbed. “Version 3.0 of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge combines both — the bridge creates attraction, and below the bridge creates productivity.”
The Yundu Service Area, a 2,500-parking-space cultural tourism complex, offers a full range of experiences: a glass observation hall, high-altitude running track on the bridge’s wind stabilizers, 625 Coffee (named after the bridge’s height), VR bungee jumping, a cliff hotel with direct bridge views, and a nightly water curtain light show. During the 2026 May Day holiday, the service area added open-air concerts and night markets, encouraging visitors to stay longer.
Transforming Local Communities
The bridge’s impact extends far beyond tourism statistics. Xiaohuajiang Village, once a “hollow village” with young people leaving for work elsewhere, has been revitalized. Xie Chaoqing, a former aerial photographer who documented the bridge’s construction and amassed over 1.8 million followers online, opened the village’s first homestay. Today, 16 homestays are operating, 14 more are under construction, and over 40 returning migrant workers have started businesses.
“During peak season, every homestay and restaurant business is booming — this is the good life the bridge has brought us,” Xie told People’s Daily.
Economic Ripple Effects
The bridge has become a powerful economic engine for western Guizhou. It directly provides over 400 jobs and indirectly supports employment for more than 2,000 people. During the 2026 May Day holiday, Zhenfeng County saw tourism visitor numbers increase by 67.87% and total tourism spending rise by 71.60% year-on-year.
Li Zhao, Marketing Director of Zhenfeng County Shuangfeng Tourism Culture Group, noted that the bridge has reshaped the region’s tourism geography. “Before the bridge, Zhenfeng’s tourism was isolated — Huangguoshu Waterfall, Wanfenglin, and us couldn’t be connected. Now, the drive from Huangguoshu to Zhenfeng has been cut from 3 hours to 1 hour, directly opening up western Guizhou’s golden tourism belt.”
A Blueprint for the Future
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge demonstrates how major infrastructure projects can be designed from the outset as integrated tourism destinations. In January 2026, the bridge-tourism project won the ITIA Gold Award — known as China’s tourism “Oscar” — for Best Industrial Innovation. As Li Can put it, “National infrastructure is not cold parameters, but an experience that tourists can see with their own eyes, touch with their own hands, and feel personally — this is our core cultural tourism confidence.”
As Guizhou continues to develop its bridge-tourism model, the question is no longer whether infrastructure can attract visitors, but how quickly this “flow to stay” approach will be replicated across China’s growing network of mega-projects.