What China Looks Like Across 5,000 Kilometers
An artery spanning nearly 5,000 kilometers
(Xinjiang, Gobi desert by National Highway 312, photographer @ Wu Jing)
(Shanghai, a super metropolis on the East China Sea coast, photographer @ Han Yang)
The aid workers of New China who supported Xinjiang walked here
Countless people still walk it today
(Please view horizontally, full map of National Highway 312, designed by @ Zheng Borong & Chen Siqi/Planet Institute)
It begins with unparalleled prosperity and modernity
Its first 1,000-plus kilometers
(Map of National Highway 312 from Shanghai to Nanyang, designed by @ Chen Siqi/Planet Institute)
This is China's most densely populated region
On the flat and open delta plains
Moist monsoon winds from the Pacific sweep in unimpeded
(Please view horizontally, Baoshan District, Shanghai, near the Yangtze River estuary, with the Huangpu River on the right and the Yangtze River on the left, photographer @ Lü Wei)
(Yangshan Port, photographer @ Tang Shao)
(Shanghai North-South Elevated Road and Yan'an Elevated Road interchange. Shanghai has the highest road density in China, averaging 2 kilometers of road per square kilometer of land, photographer @ Zhang Dianwen)
(The latest Yangtze River Delta integrated development plan, designed by @ Chen Siqi/Planet Institute)
It traverses southern Jiangsu and Anhui Province
Connecting Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou
North of Suzhou's urban area, a "land of rivers and lakes"
National Highway 312 intersects with multiple development zones and industrial parks
Countless "industrial cities" and "wholesale cities" are closely connected
Forming a powerful industrial belt
(Distribution of development zones, industrial parks, and logistics parks along the Suzhou section of National Highway 312, mapped by Chen Siqi/Planet Research Institute)
Nor is it a municipality directly under the central government or a special economic zone
Firmly occupying a spot in the top 10 list of China's urban GDP rankings
(The Gate of the Orient by Jinji Lake in Suzhou, showcasing the city's prosperity and wealth, photographer@Vitamin)
The eastern region traversed by National Highway 312
(Nanyang, Henan, farmland after harvest, photographer@Song Jiayin)
Once represented the prosperity of this land
Passing through Shangnan County, Danfeng County, and Shangluo City
National Highway 312 will traverse 280 kilometers through the Qinling Mountains
(Map of the Qinling Mountain section of National Highway 312, mapped by Chen Siqi/Planet Research Institute)
The road sometimes winds up and down the mountainside
(Fengyu Pass at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, where National Highway 210 passes through; this image is for illustrative purposes only, photographer@Li Wenbo)
Signifying that National Highway 312 has crossed
1000-3000km
Here, dry climate dominates
With annual precipitation only about a quarter of Shanghai's
And cuts the loess into fragmented pieces
(Qingyang, Gansu, the "thousands of gullies and ravines" terrain of the Loess Plateau seen from above, photographer@Li Jie)
Causing many areas on the Loess Plateau to
The Wei River provides abundant water and large amounts of sediment
(Farmland in Lintong; the road in the image is Lishan Avenue north of National Highway 312, photographer @ Feng Lei)
It successively nurtured the capitals of the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties
And gradually evolved into today's Xi'an
(Xi'an's Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, image source @ VCG)
Embarked on a great westward exploration
The path he opened was later known as the Silk Road
Initiating the exchange of materials and culture between East and West
Transformed into steel rails, pipelines, and transmission towers
And briefly traversed the Liupan Mountains in southern Ningxia
Until reaching one of the largest transportation hubs in the northwest
(Hekou Town in Lanzhou, where the Yellow River flows through, along with railways and highways; National Highway 312 merges with urban roads in Lanzhou, photographer @ Xu Xiaotian)
After heading almost straight north for about 260 kilometers
(Map of the Hexi Corridor section of National Highway 312, cartographer @ Chen Siqi/Planet Research Institute)
A corridor formed between the Loess Plateau and the Inner Mongolia Plateau
It is the most convenient land route to Xinjiang
Had already concluded its journey at Wushaoling
Created several oases in the middle of the corridor
Wuwei, Jinchang, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Jiayuguan
(Wetland Park in Ganzhou District, Zhangye, the "Wetland City," photographer @ Zhong Xiaoliang)
Once symbolizing the ambitions of the Han Empire
Since Emperor Wu of Han established the Four Commanderies of Hexi
They have stood along this corridor for centuries
They were vital "waystations" on the corridor
Along the 480-kilometer stretch from Wuwei to Jiayuguan
National Highway 312 runs parallel to the Lianhuo Expressway, the Lanxin Railway
And the West-East Gas Pipeline
(On the left in the image is the original National Highway 312, in the middle is the Lianhuo Expressway, and on the right is the Ming Dynasty Great Wall of Hexi Corridor. Since ancient times, routes from the Central Plains to the Western Regions have followed roughly the same path through the Hexi Corridor. Photographer: Wu Wei)
By this point, National Highway 312 has traversed 3,039 kilometers
The sphere of influence of ancient Central Plains dynasties
(In the distance is Jiayuguan City, in the middle is Jiayuguan Pass, and in the foreground is the Overhanging Great Wall. Photographer: Yang Yuxiang)
No longer are there towns lined up one after another
(National Highway 312 stretches across the Gobi Desert in Xinjiang. Photographer: Wu Jing)
3000-5000km
Between 1876 and 1881
The Qing dynasty successively pacified northern and southern Xinjiang and reclaimed Ili
"Pressed by foreign powers, the old land returns anew"
From then on, "Xinjiang" became the common name for this land
Countless teachers, workers, and researchers
Came to Xinjiang for the Western Development campaign
(National Highway 312 traverses the Gobi Desert toward Xingxingxia. Photographer: Chang Li)
Large mountain ranges spanning 200-300 kilometers in width
(Tianshan Mountains, photographer: Wu Jing)
The Tianshan Mountains will also accompany National Highway 312
(Map of the Xinjiang section of National Highway 312, cartographer: Chen Siqi/Planet Research Institute)
are Hami and Turpan south of the Tianshan Mountains
where summer temperatures often exceed 40°C
earning them the titles "Pole of Heat" and "Pole of Dryness"
(National Highway 312 at the foot of the Flaming Mountains, photographer: Chen Maofeng)
But the Tianshan Mountains stand like a green island deep within Xinjiang
where people live and work on the oases
growing crops such as watermelons and grapes
(Grape Valley in Turpan, Xinjiang, a vineyard at the edge of the desert, photographer: Achou Photography)
The relentless winds stir up clouds of dust
yet also provide ideal conditions for wind power generation
The electricity generated will be transmitted to the Central Plains
(Chaiwopu Wind Farm in Xinjiang, photographer: Lao J)
(Cotton picking in Shihezi, photographer: Yang Zijiang)
gathered in a city with over 3 million residents
(Urumqi and the Tianshan Mountains, image source: VCG)
Here it will encounter Sayram Lake
This large lake in the Tianshan Mountains stretches approximately 30 kilometers from east to west.
National Highway 312 runs along the lakeshore.
(Please view horizontally. National Highway 312 by Sayram Lake, where it often merges with the Lianhuo Expressway, photographer @ Wang Wei)
(Guozigou Bridge and the Lianhuo Expressway. Here, National Highway 312 separates from the expressway, lying to its east. Compared to the expressway cutting through mountains, Highway 312 is more winding, photographer @ Shi Yaochen)
National Highway 312 enters the Ili River Valley.
The valley is flanked by the Tianshan Mountains on its north, east, and south sides.
Moisture from the Atlantic and mid-western Eurasia converges here.
(A river in the Xiate area of Zhaosu County, Ili, Xinjiang, photographer @ He Jinghua)
The area is lush with vegetation and rich in biodiversity.
National Highway 312 is nearing its endpoint.
It finally reaches the border port of Khorgos.
(The endpoint of National Highway 312, Khorgos Port. Due to renovations, rerouting, and other factors, the highway's mileage is constantly changing. The mileage here is for reference only, photographer @ Yao Hongyang)
Crossing plains, mountains, deserts, and oases,
this east-west corridor, represented by National Highway 312,
holds a position as crucial as Shanghai.
Along with the Lianhuo Expressway, the Jingyi-Khorgos Railway,
and the China-Central Asia Natural Gas Pipeline,
this region faces numerous Central Asian countries,
with annual import and export volumes exceeding billions of yuan.
(The trade market area around Khorgos Port, photographer @ Lai Yuning)
This is also the largest passenger port of entry and exit in Xinjiang
With an annual出入境人数 of 500,000 to 600,000
(Chinese and foreign personnel traveling across the border, photographer@ Lai Yuning)
China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline begins operation
Even the entire New Eurasian Land Bridge
A four-in-one system of highways, railways, aviation, and pipelines
(Highways, railways, routes, and pipelines with Khorgos and Yining as key nodes, mapped by@ Chen Siqi/Planet Research Institute)
Forming a larger and longer road
This road may not have dense scenery
But contains more diverse history and civilization
There is more than one path to the future
"Sharpness and wisdom, achieving beyond the ordinary"
Car designs are not limited to just streamlined shapes
And the breakthrough spindle-shaped grille
Is its unique quality to break the monotony
NX's distinctive and sharp understanding of beauty
Leaves a与众不同的背影
On this journey spanning east and west
Even the vanity mirror behind the center control touchpad
Reflects执着 for rarely noticed details
It also means a test of the car's performance
The NX 200 features four different driving modes
With seamless switching between driving modes
It can easily handle the nearly 5,000-kilometer journey
From the eastern coastal regions
The NX strives to ensure safety in every detail
Lexus's newly upgraded LSS+ intelligent safety system
Includes pre-collision and lane departure warning functions
Like a considerate real-time "co-pilot"
The 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine
Paired with the variable valve timing control system
Also significantly improves fuel efficiency
Reducing pollution in the environmentally fragile western regions
The NX 200 combines economy and power
The culturally diverse National Highway 312
Perfect for a westward journey along Highway 312
An ideal midsize luxury SUV for exploring the unknown
Click "Read More" below
The vast differences in landscapes and cultures between eastern and western China
Also reflect the economic disparities between the regions
(Comparison of GDP along the eastern and western sections of National Highway 312, chart by Zheng Borong/Planet Research Institute)
National Highway 312, Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway, Lanzhou–Xinjiang High-Speed Railway
West-to-East Gas Pipeline, West-to-East Electricity Transmission, etc.
Transporting goods, people, and culture between the east and west
People who came from the eastern regions to the northwest
Many have already put down roots here
While continuously supplying the east
It will eventually be replaced by faster and better roads
But a diagonal line crossing China from east to west
(A road passing by the Flaming Mountains, with National Highway 312 on the right and Beijing–Urumqi Expressway on the left, photographer: Chen Maofeng)
Reviewers: Yunwu Kongcheng, Lushumao
P.S. Main references for this article:
[1] Mai Bonan. Atlas of National Highways of the People's Republic of China[M]. China Cartographic Publishing House, 2002.
[2] Gu Yuxiang, et al. Journey Along National Highway 312[M]. Xuelin Publishing House, 1997.
[3] Wang Mu. The Elopement Book of National Highway 312[M]. China Water & Power Press, 2005.