The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, which opened to traffic on Sunday, is expected to boost the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Spanning 24 kilometers, the mega cross-sea passage drastically reduces travel time between the city of Zhongshan and the technology hub of Shenzhen, situated on opposite sides of the Pear River (Zhujiang) Estuary in south China’s Guangdong Province. The trip is now cut from two hours to around 30 minutes.

The new transportation route features eight lanes designed for speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour.

The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link is another large-scale transportation project in the Greater Bay Area. It follows the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which is approximately 31 kilometers south of the new link.

As a strategic channel connecting the east and west banks of the Pearl River, the link represents the world’s first cross-sea cluster project, incorporating one underwater tunnel, two bridges, and two artificial islands. It has set 10 world records in areas such as bridge span and wind resistance capacity.

“The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link project adopted 10 world-leading technologies in its high-quality construction. The innovative bridge and tunnel technologies developed by the project will provide comprehensive technical solutions and a Chinese approach to the construction of cross-sea passages worldwide,” said Chen Weile, construction commander of the project.

The link, together with Huangpu Bridge, Nansha Bridge, Humen Bridge, and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, is expected to further strengthen economic and social ties between the east and west banks at the Pearl River Estuary.

Intercity bus routes connecting Zhongshan and Shenzhen and the Zhongshan terminal linked to Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport were also launched on Sunday.

In the future, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link will also be connected with expressways such as the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Riverside Expressway, Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway, and Zhongshan-Kaiping Expressway.

“The level of infrastructure connectivity continues to improve, and the accelerated flow of people, goods, capital, and information will undoubtedly provide strong transportation support to promote the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a model of high-quality development and a leading example of Chinese modernization,” said Zhou Rongfeng, director of the Highway Bureau of the Ministry of Transport.

China’s Shenzhou-18 crew members on the Tiangong Space Station are preparing for their second extravehicular activities (EVAs) by conducting training that includes science experiments and orbital maneuvers.

Astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu have completed one-third of their six-month mission with stable physical and operational conditions in orbit, since they aboarded the Tiangong two month ago.

During their training, the astronauts used advanced remotely control systems for rendezvous and docking operations on in-orbit training systems and metacognitive training systems, practicing skills such as recognizing images, manual docking, remote docking, and safely undocking of the spacecraft under different initial conditions.

Throughout the training, the astronauts monitored the orientation and relative distance and speed of target spacecraft on screens, practicing precise control of the speed and orientation using specialized handles.

Last week, the crew also underwent exercise-based cardiopulmonary function tests. These tests assess the cardiovascular and respiratory capabilities needed for upcoming spacewalks, using methods to simulate exercise-induced metabolic demands.

The Shenzhou-18 crew was launched into space on April 25, as the third manned mission during the application and development stage of China’s space station and the 32nd flight mission of the country’s manned space program overall.

The crew members completed their first spacewalk on May 28, according to the China Manned Space Agency.