Driving above the clouds: Spectacular footage shows China's £170 million record-breaking bridge built over a whopping 1,100ft drop

China is always pushing its architectural limits higher and higher. The Aizhai (.矮寨) Bridge is a steel, suspension bridge located deep in the heart of China's Hunan Province.

Dubbed 'the most beautiful bridge in the world' by media, the gigantic structure is captured in its full splendor in a recent video footage by New China TV.

The bridge's impressive statistics are in the prestigious Guinness world book of records for the highest and longest valley suspension bridge in the world, with a main span of 1,176 metres (3,858 feet) and a deck height of 336 metres (1,102 feet).

(Impressive statistics: Aizhai is the world's highest and longest tunnel-to-tunnel bridge and key development for central China)

(Spectacular views: Aizhai bridge lies beneath a mountainous green valley known as Dehang canyon)

The grey-and-orange steel construction links two tunnels that connect the major cities of Chadong and Jishou via a four-lane expressway (two lanes in each direction) and cuts driving time from approximately four hours down to less than one hour.

Work started on the engineering achievement almost ten years ago back in October 2007 and was completed by the end of 2011, ahead of schedule.

The bridge was temporarily opened to pedestrians during the busy 2012 Spring Festival and was formally opened to traffic in March 2012.

To most everyday Chinese people, it is just one really high bridge and another symbolic icon of Chinese architectural wonder, in line with the spirit of China's rapid development.

(Sky high: The bridge is a key section of Jishou-Chadong Expressway and reduces driving time from 4 hours down to 1 hour)

(Aizhai is lit at night, thanks to its 1,888 lights and pedestrians are lucky to be able to use the panoramic walkway)

The construction cost £170 million to build and the masterpiece is seen as a key investment in the region to help ease traffic in the mountainous province, where queues are common due to the narrow, steep and winding roads.

AIZHAI BRIDGE AT A GLANCE:

Deck height: 336m (1,102ft) above the Dehang Canyon. Suspension bridge has a tower to tower main span of 1,176m (3,858 ft) Total length of 1,534m (5,033ft). Start date: October, 2007 Completion date: March, 2012S Source: Guinness World Records

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