China opens record-breaking suspension bridge

The opening of a new bridge may not sound like the kind of thing to inspire an adventure travel trip to a far off country, but this is no ordinary bridge.

China has now officially opened the Aizhai Extra Large Suspension Bridge - the world's highest and longest tunnel-to-tunnel bridge.

The spectacular structure links together two tunnels 1,176 metres apart, and 355 metres above the Dehang Canyon in China's mountainous Hunan province.

As well as being a mesmeric sight in its own right, particularly at night when the full span of the bridge is illuminated by some 1,888 lights, the structure also provides incredible views of the surrounding hills and mountains.

Pedestrians can stroll along an attached walkway under the bridge and there is even a view-point for tourists.

The bridge could also prove convenient for those on an overland adventure tour of China by significantly reducing journey times in the region.

A key section of the 64-kilometre-long Jishou-Chadong Expressway, it is expected that the bridge will help reduce journey times between the two cities from several days to just eight hours.

In total, the expressway runs through 18 mountain tunnels, which cover around half of its length.

Engineers worked impressively quickly to get the bridge up and running, with construction starting in October 2007 and the main sections being completed at the end of 2011.

The Aizhai Extra Large Suspension Bridge is just the latest example of China's growing list of incredible engineering feats.

China already boasts the world's longest bridge - the 164.8km Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge, which was built in 2010 to carry the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway.

Meanwhile, the country is also rapidly expanding its residential and commercial infrastructure and, according to a recent report by Barclays Capital, is home to 53 per cent of the 124 skyscrapers now under construction globally.