Most Dangerous Roads in Taihang Mountains of China: Guoliang, Kunshan, Xiyagou and Huilong Tunnels

7 spectacular tunnel roads were carved into the sheer cliffs in Taihang Mountains between the 1960s and 1990s, only with bare hands without large construction machines. The Chinese call the tunnel roads "Guabi Gonglu" (挂壁公路). In Chinese, Guabi Gonglu means the tunnel roads hanging from steep cliff faces. They consist of sections of tunnels hidden in rocks and sections of visible roads built on cliffs. Viewed from afar, a Guabi tunnel road seems to hang from sheer cliff faces and float above deep gorges in clouds and mists. The Tunnel Roads in the Taihang Mountains are considered to be the most spectacular and dangerous roads in China.

The Taihang Mountains are a mountain range that runs along the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in the Chinese provinces of Henan, Shanxi and Hebei. It stretches 400 kilometers from north to south and has an average elevation of 1500 to 2000 meters. There are a total of 7 tunnel roads in the Taihang Mountains.

Among the 7 dangerous roads in Taihang Mountains, the Guoliang Tunnel Road is most famous. The road links the Guoliang Village to the outside through the Taihang Mountains. The final stretch of this road before entering the village is the 6 meter wide, 4 meter high and 1300 meter long tunnel hanging about 100 to 400 meters high above the precipice on sheer cliffs and having 35 natural openings. On March 9th, 1972, the villagers started to hew the tunnel road out of the rock with their bare hands and the simplest tools. The construction of the Guoliang tunnel road took more than 5 years until it was put into operation on May 1st, 1977. Guoliang Village and Tunnel Road are located in Huixian County, Henan Province.

The Kunshan Tunnel Road is the narrowest Guabi Road in the southern Taihang Mountains, connecting Wangmangling scenic area in Shanxi Province with Wanxianshan scenic area in Henan Province. The construction of this tunnel road started in 1992. The road is more than 6 kilometers long on cliffs over a deep valley and 2200 m long in tunnel with openings to the valley. In 2009 extensive renovation and expansion were carried out. The Kunshan Tunnel Road is now one of the most popular attractions in Wangmangling Scenic Area, Lingchuan County, Shanxi Province.

The Xiyagou Tunnel Road is a nearly 8-kilometer road on steep mountain slopes in the Xiyagou Valley in southern Taihang Mountains in Shanxi Province. The residents of Xiyagou Village started in 1962 to build the tunnel road with their bare hands. The tunnel road runs in a zigzag shape and is at different heights. From afar, the openings of the tunnel look like Z. The construction of the Xiyagou Tunnel Road was the most difficult and took more than 30 years. On June 28, 1991, the Xiyagou Tunnel Road was opened to traffic.

The Huilong Tunnel Road is an 8-kilometer serpentine along the steep cliff, with a 1-kilometer long an about 8-meter-wide tunnel. The Construction began in November 1997 and was completed on January 10, 2002. Together with the Xiyagou Tunnel Road, the Huilong Tunnel Road connects the two provinces of Henan and Shanxi through the southern Taihang Mountains.

#Taihang, #Guoliang, #Tunnel

00:00 Introduction
01:02 Guoliang Tunnel Road (郭亮挂壁公路)
04:08 Kunshan Tunnel Road (昆山挂壁公路)
05:55 Xiyagou Tunnel Road (锡崖挂壁公路)
07:09 Huilong Tunnel Road (回龙挂壁公路)
07:56 7 tunnel roads in Taihang Mountains

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