“超級工程”港珠澳大橋正式通車

From the Forbidden City to the Great Wall, ancient Chinese people have always been praised for their building skills and wisdom.

從紫禁城到長城，古代中國人民的建筑才能和智慧向來備受贊譽。

And their great skills have been passed down to modern Chinese people. Evidence of this can be seen in recent buildings, such as the National Stadium, also known as the “Bird’s Nest”, in Beijing, and the Shanghai Tower.

而現(xiàn)代中國人也繼承了祖輩們的高超技能，這一點從近年來的建筑上便能佐證，如北京的國家體育場(鳥巢)以及上海中心大廈。

And recently, China has created even more proof of its great building skills.

而最近，中國再一次展現(xiàn)了自己偉大的建筑才能。

On Oct 23, President Xi Jinping announced the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) at an opening ceremony in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

10月23日，國家主席在廣東省珠海市出席港珠澳大橋開通儀式，宣布大橋正式開通。

The HZMB, which is located at the waters of the Lingdingyang of Pearl River Estuary, is a huge sea crossing, linking the Hong Kong SAR, Zhuhai city and the Macao SAR.

超大型跨海交通工程港珠澳大橋跨越珠江口伶仃洋，東接香港特別行政區(qū)，西接廣東省珠海市和澳門特別行政區(qū)。

As the world’s longest sea-based project, the 55-kilometre bridge is the result of five years of research and another nine years of building. It has been named as one of the “seven wonders of the modern world” by the Guardian.

作為世界上最長的跨海大橋，這座55公里長的大橋歷經(jīng)5年規(guī)劃、9年建設(shè)，被《衛(wèi)報》譽為“新世界七大奇跡”。

The project is made up of a 22.9-kilometer-long main bridge, a 6.7-kilometer-long tunnel and an artificial island off the bridge.

大橋包括了22.9公里的主體橋梁、6.7公里的海底隧道以及橋下的人工島。

“It is designed with a service life of 120 years. It can withstand … a strong wind equal to a maximum Beaufort scale 16,” Zhu Yongling, a project official, told the Guardian. “It can also[withstand] … a magnitude-8 earthquake.”

“港珠澳大橋設(shè)計使用壽命長達120年，能夠抵御高達16級的臺風(fēng)，”港珠澳大橋管理局局長朱永靈在接受《衛(wèi)報》采訪時表示。“它還能承受8級地震。”

Meanwhile, the Y-shaped bridge could reduce travel time from Hong Kong to Zhuhai and Macao from four hours to about 45 minutes.

與此同時，這座Y型大橋?qū)⑾愀鄣街楹?、澳門的四小時車程縮短為45分鐘左右。

“The bridge will not only be a transport link. It will be a social, economic, cultural, andtourism connection among the three areas,” Yu Lie, deputy director of the HK-Zhuhai-MacaoBridge Authority, told Xinhua.

“港珠澳大橋的意義首先在于交通。此外，它在社會、經(jīng)濟、文化、旅游等方面也會發(fā)揮重要作用，”港珠澳大橋管理局副局長余烈在接受新華社采訪時表示。

It will bring people in Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong within a “one-hour living circle”, which is expected to attract more visitors to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater BayArea.

港珠澳大橋的建成，令粵港澳地區(qū)的居民形成了“一小時生活圈”，有望吸引更多游客前往粵港澳大灣區(qū)。

Indeed, “the HZMB is one of the most important elements of the development of the Bay Area,” said Jason Ni Mengcheng, an assistant professor at City University of Hong Kong.

的確，“港珠澳大橋是大灣區(qū)發(fā)展的一大重要元素，”香港城市大學(xué)倪孟正副教授表示。