Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday inaugurated the John Pombe Magufuli Bridge, a major infrastructure project built by Chinese companies under the Belt and Road Initiative. Located on the southern shore of Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, the bridge spans 4.66 kilometers and features a dual four-lane carriageway. Built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway 15th Bureau Group Co., Ltd., the 520-meter-long main section is a three-tower, low-pylon cable-stayed structure.
The opening of the bridge marks the end of nearly 60 years of ferry operations between Busisi and Kigongo, offering local residents a long-awaited alternative.
Officials have said that the bridge is expected to significantly ease travel and logistics, improve transport efficiency, and boost regional development.
"I believe when this bridge comes to open, it will become an important link. It will promote the national development, improve the life of people here and people lives nearby, logistics, transportation of vehicles, goods and efficiency of the transportation," said Katelula Salum Kaswaga, an official of Tanzania National Roads Agency.
In recent years, China and Tanzania have deepened cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative, with projects in railways, bridges, and water infrastructure helping to transform the country. Many in Tanzania see the initiative as a major driver of development across Africa.
China-built John Pombe Magufuli Bridge inaugurated in Tanzania
China is witnessing the deep integration of film-related technologies into various sectors, creating diverse application scenarios and innovative experiences, and this cross-industry fusion is effectively stimulating economic growth by driving investment, boosting consumption, and expanding exports.
The continuous improvement in cinematic picture quality and audio effects is steadily propelling the evolution and upgrading of consumer electronics products. In major shopping malls across China, an increasing number of consumer electronics devices supporting high-end film playback features are made available to the public, including 120fps (frames per second) high-frame-rate equipment and 4K HDR (high dynamic range) players.
By incorporating HDR imaging technology, these products deliver brighter highlights, richer shadow detail, and faithfully reproduce the true colors and lighting nuances captured during filming.
"Contemporary laser televisions have incorporated a lot of cinematic technologies, offering larger screens, better picture quality, and superior sound effects. This allows consumers to enjoy a true cinema-like viewing experience in the comfort of their homes, directly boosting our store sales by 100 percent," said Li Xinghua, sales manager of a Chinese e-commerce giant Suning's super experience store located in the Xinjiekou business district in Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province.
In addition, as China’s new energy vehicle market continues to expand, more consumers are now able to enjoy the immersive experience of a mobile cinema on the go.
The deep integration of film audio-visual technologies with smart automotive cabins of new energy vehicles enable films to interact with ambient lighting, seat movement, and air conditioning, generating an immersive viewing experience inside the car. This not only adds entertainment options for long-haul trips but also drives innovation and upgrades in the automotive industry.
"By incorporating advanced cinematic audio technologies，the vehicle features comprehensive sound insulation upgrades at more than 30 key locations throughout the cabin. This is complemented by over 200 targeted noise optimizations and the application of more than 120 innovative acoustic materials. These enhancements create a profoundly quieter interior environment while delivering the distinctive Dolby Atmos immersive sound experience, previously exclusive to cinemas. Leveraging a cinema-inspired sound field layout, the system ensures that passengers in every seat enjoy identical, fully enveloping audio immersion," said Chen Xianling, an engineer from Xiaomi Auto.
Moreover, with the widespread adoption of mobile smart devices and Chinese viewers' rising expectations for high-quality cinematic content, more film production techniques are now being applied to the short drama industry.
This has enabled short drama -- a sector once defined by low cost and fast turnover -- to achieve a leap forward in visual quality, narrative pacing, and audiovisual experience. It helps the sector to shift from a focus on quick traffic gains to a model centered on high-quality content, creating a new growth driver in China's cultural and entertainment market.
"Film technology is quietly yet powerfully reshaping a wide range of industries, bringing sustained innovation and added value far beyond the screen," said Deng Guiyao, director of the audiovisual center under the industrial culture development center of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Film technologies drive cross-industry growth in China
