The longest tunnel of China-built Karakoram Highway relocation project was successfully dug through on Thursday.
The Logro-B tunnel, a 1,403-meter section of the Karakoram Highway linking Pakistan with China, is designed in compliance with Chinese tunnel design standards.
The realignment project of the existing Karakoram Highway is undertaken by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).
This project includes seven tunnels and three bridges in the mountainous area of northern Pakistan, where the natural conditions are harsh, due to frequent occurrence of disasters such as earthquakes and mudslides.
In the next phase, the project team will advance the remaining bridge and tunnel works to ensure the project's high-standard and high-quality completion.
The Karakoram Highway, located in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, is also known as the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway. It is the only land route linking Pakistan with China.
China-built 1,403-meter highway tunnel dug through in Pakistan
More than a month ahead of the Chinese New Year, restaurants across China have reported a booming demand for reunion dinners, with popular places already fully reserved.
The family reunion dinners on the eve of the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is the most important meal of the year for Chinese people. It has long been an essential part of celebrating the Chinese New Year. This year, the festival falls on Feb 17.
In Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province, one restaurant said all tables for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner have been reserved.
"We now have 36 private rooms and 13 tables in the hall. The New Year's Eve dinner is fully booked. Many families started reserving as early as November 2025," said Han Huiyan, a restaurant manager.
To meet the demand, many restaurants start to offer takeaway banquet package that can be easily prepared at home, allowing families to enjoy a variety of festive dishes without dining out.
In Ningbo, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province, many popular restaurants said that they are approaching full reservation levels. To reduce peak demand, some restaurants now offer off-peak reunion dinners starting later at night.
"We now offer a 'second round' of New Year's Eve dinners, which start at 19:30. We also offer discount for such New Year's Eve dinners, a promotion of 20 percent off set menus," said Sun Lijuan, a restaurant manager.
In Lianyungang, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, smaller private rooms of a local restaurant have been nearly sold out, and customized menus and home-delivery services have drawn strong interest.
"This year we have specially launched the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner delivery service. Bookings are very strong and customers really like this option," said Geng Maoran, a restaurant general manager.
Restaurants see surge in bookings for Chinese New Year's Eve dinners
