On September 16th, the Pinglu Canal, a key project of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, officially opened to navigation. Stretching 134.2 kilometers, it is the first canal since the founding of the People's Republic of China to be constructed under national-level planning, connecting inland rivers directly to the sea. As the highest-navigation-grade canal in the country, it accommodates vessels of up to 5,000 tons. On September 17th, our reporter joined the "Why China · Canal Light" media tour in Guangxi for an up-close exploration of the canal's critical infrastructure, speaking with builders and frontline workers to understand the innovative engineering solutions and the efficient systems driving this massive waterway.

The journey began at the Longmen Bridge near the canal's estuary. From the bridge, the view opened up dramatically: the canal's channel stretched straight toward the Beibu Gulf, with four large vessels steadily making their way out to sea, their wakes carving white lines across the calm water. Along both banks, dense oyster farming rafts spread across the bay, a testament to the region's long-standing maritime aquaculture tradition.

Next, the tour moved to the Qinzhou Port automated container terminal. From the observation deck, over a dozen automated gantry cranes lined the dock in a row, their steel arms diligently moving containers against the blue sky. In the yard, containers stacked five levels high resembled oversized colorful building blocks. Driverless trucks—without cabs or operators—moved along preset routes, automatically slowing and yielding at intersections, with docking precision controlled to the centimeter. According to officials, the port has thoroughly prepared for the anticipated growth in river-sea intermodal container traffic generated by the canal's opening, having expanded operational capacity, berth reserves, storage yards, and staffing to support a robust system for handling varied cargo volumes and promoting high-quality sea-rail and river-sea combined transport.

Currently, the Qinzhou Port area has 27 operational production berths, capable of accommodating vessels up to 300,000 tons for oil tankers, 200,000 tons for container ships, and 120,000 tons for bulk carriers. The port has pioneered the world's first U-shaped fully automated container terminal for sea-rail intermodal transport, achieving full automation and intelligent management. A site manager explained the core logic behind the innovative U-shaped design: "Equipment with high energy consumption moves less; equipment with lower consumption moves more. For external trucks, which are large and fuel-intensive, the U-shaped layout allows them to reach container zones directly without detours—entering for immediate positioning and departing after loading—minimizing travel distance for high-energy vehicles."

In the afternoon, the reporter experienced the engineering marvels of the canal's three major hubs. The full 134.2-kilometer waterway includes the Madao, Qishi, and Qingnian cascading hubs, overcoming a total water level difference of 65 meters—equivalent to a 20-plus-story building. Among these, the Madao Hub holds two world records: the largest water-saving ship lock by head difference and the largest inland water-saving ship lock. The Qingnian Hub, the lowest of the three cascades, is China's largest mutually irrigating and draining inland water-saving ship lock. An unexpected detail captured attention: a quiet, winding waterway beside the imposing concrete structure—a 487.4-meter fish passage designed for aquatic migration. With 120 chambers arranged in sequence, the passage uses vertical slots to reduce water flow force, providing fish a resting and transit route upstream. This thoughtful design exemplifies the project's commitment to balancing large-scale engineering with ecological preservation.

At the Qishi Hub, the second cascade, a wide lock chamber unfolded before the observer, flanked by massive steel miter gates and gantry cranes spanning the channel. As the pivotal mid-stream hub, it features the world's first three-stage superimposed water-saving ship lock. This "water elevator" overcomes a maximum 27-meter water level difference, recycling through three water-saving basins and conserving 60% of water per lockage, while achieving world-record valve opening speeds. At the Madao Hub, the pinnacle of the project, the reporter gained the fullest appreciation of the project's scale and China's pragmatic infrastructure prowess. The hub integrates massive lock structures, water-saving systems, and ecological support systems in synchronized operation, solving the complex geological and elevation challenges of Guangxi's hilly terrain and breaking through the bottleneck preventing direct navigation from the Xijiang River to the Beibu Gulf.

Pan Jian, Chief Engineer of Guangxi Pinglu Canal Construction Co., Ltd., shared insights from his four years on the project. "Before construction, the Madao Hub site was solid mountain. Designers said we had to cut through the mountains to carve the canal. We spent four years completing this immense undertaking." His emotions now are twofold: a sense of reluctance as construction winds down and hands over to operators, and immense pride in delivering the first national-level sea-river canal since 1949 with such high standards. He emphasized that Chinese engineers developed the "Pinglu Plan" and "Pinglu Standards" through overcoming world-class challenges with technological innovation, creating records in water-saving ship locks, earthwork utilization, ecological protection, and smart canal systems. "We hope the Pinglu plan and standards can go global, offering valuable Chinese experience for future artificial waterway connection projects," he stated. Looking ahead, he affirmed that with the canal open and hubs passing vessels, the focus shifts to efficient, green, and safe operations, truly fulfilling its role as a golden waterway linking rivers to the sea.