A better life

The HZMB can be regarded as reflecting the Chinese people's desire for a better life.

Economic development, allied to rising productivity, has resulted in Chinese people paying more attention to quality of life, said Su, quoting the report delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October last year, which highlighted efforts to build a better life.

"The HZMB is the result of such pursuits," he said. "I'm confident that in 10 to 20 years, bridges built in the least-developed areas in China will rival the best in the world."

Stressing that the efforts of several generations will be needed to improve the overall quality of bridges in China, Su said he felt lucky to be a bridge engineer in the 21st century - a time where he and his team have been given the opportunity and resources to build the world's longest sea crossing.