The longest in China! The highest in the world! What will we see on National Highway 219?

National Highway 219 is the longest, most beautiful and highest average altitude national highway in China. It is also known as the "world-class scenic avenue". It starts from Xinjiang in the north and ends in Guangxi in the south. It stretches from the west side of the Altai Mountains in the cold temperate zone to the subtropical Beibu Gulf. It is 10,065 kilometers long. National Highway 219 crosses thousands of mountains and rivers, passing through several huge mountain systems with thousands of years of snow along the way. It almost connects all the important mountain groups in western my country, including the Altai Mountains, Tianshan Mountains, Kunlun Mountains, Karakoram Mountains, Gangdise Mountains, Himalayas, Hengduan Mountains, etc. There are both north-south crossings and east-west crossings, which almost run through all the natural ecosystems in my country.

File photo: G219 National Highway 0 km monument

The Xinjiang section of National Highway 219 is 3,216 kilometers long, with endless beautiful scenery, all-encompassing natural landscapes, and colorful humanities and history. It includes unique natural landscapes such as snow-capped mountains, alpine meadows, grasslands, wetlands, lakes, glaciers, Gobi, and deserts. It is also a great vertical passage from nomadic culture to oasis civilization, integrating Xinjiang's most typical frontier characteristics, natural geographical features, and ethnic customs, and has multiple attributes.

The Tibet section of National Highway 219 is the core section, with a total length of about 3,500 kilometers, accounting for about one-third of the entire length of National Highway 219. It connects the world's most majestic mountains - the Himalayas, the highest peak - Mount Everest, the richest biodiversity - the ecological secrets of Medog, and the deepest canyon - the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, and brings together natural landscapes such as "mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasses, and sand ice". Walking here, you can feel the visual changes from glaciers and snow-capped mountains to rivers and lakes, from deserts and Gobi to forests and grasslands, from high mountain canyons to rural countryside. Every place you see and encounter is a feast of geographical landscapes.

File photo: Vehicles driving on National Highway G219

The Yunnan section of National Highway 219 is 2,624 kilometers long and passes through eight border cities and prefectures in Yunnan. There are scenic spots such as the dangerous Bingchacha, the mysterious Bingzhongluo, and the First Bay of Nujiang River. National Highway 219 also connects Tengchong, known as the "First City of the Extreme Border", Lincang, a place where Chinese Wa culture is concentrated, Pu'er, the "Pearl of the Green Sea", Xishuangbanna, the "Emerald in the Crown of Plants", as well as Honghe and Wenshan, allowing people to experience the beauty of Yunnan, where the four seasons are like spring.

The Guangxi section of National Highway 219 is 704.2 kilometers long. Although the climate in Guangxi is similar to that in Yunnan, the landforms are significantly different. Guangxi is dominated by karst peaks and peak clusters, and most of the landscape along the way is karst tropical monsoon forests, while the terminus of National Highway 219 in Dongxing is a mangrove landscape where the sea and land meet. Although the Guangxi section is short, there are 5 nature reserves along the route, 4 of which are national nature reserves with unique characteristics.

Along National Highway 219, there are not only colorful ethnic customs and magnificent scenery, but also witness touching stories in the new era and new journey: guarding the border, the Belt and Road Initiative, rural revitalization, national unity, economic development, ecological protection, cultural heritage... With National Highway 219 as the thread, these sparkling stories are strung together to form a real and dazzling pearl necklace.

Review expert: Gao Zhiling, Professor of College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University

China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Xinhuanet

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