The construction over the top of Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge's main tower in Xiamen section was completed on Monday.
It marks that the project has now officially entered the critical phase of suspension cable erection, laying a solid foundation for subsequent procedures such as installing main cables and hoisting steel box girders.
The navigation bridge, whose main tower was topped out, has a total length of 1,948 meters, with a span of 928 meters and a height of 178.1 meters. Each main tower, from bottom to top, is composed of 60 steel shell segments and two steel crossbeams.
The project team has overcome a series of major technical challenges, including offshore construction of ultra-high structures, high-precision assembly of steel shell segments, and temperature control in large-volume concrete works.
The offshore primary line of the Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge Xiamen section is expected to open to traffic by the end of 2026.
Main tower of Xiamen–Kinmen Bridge Xiamen section topped out
Enduring friendships between giant pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwest China's Sichuan Province has been captured in recently released footage, showcasing the success of the base's science-backed animal welfare practices.
Captured at the base's Moonlight Delivery House, Star Giant Panda Nursery House and No. 1 Giant Panda Villa, the video clips feature various pairs of same-age pandas joyfully playing and wrestling together.
The practice of housing same-age pandas together is a form of social enrichment, designed to promote interaction and behavioral diversity among individuals.
Panda enrichment refers to scientific conservation methods employed in captivity to enhance the welfare of these national treasures, meet their physiological and psychological needs, and encourage them to display more natural behaviors.
The Chengdu base is a world-renowned facility for ex-situ conservation, scientific research and breeding, public education, and eco-tourism. It is globally recognized for protecting and breeding endangered Chinese wildlife species such as giant pandas and red pandas.
Footage captures panda friendships at Chengdu base
