A high bridge slashes travel time, brings people home, and turns a remote valley into a thriving destination, Yang Feiyue reports in Jishou, Hunan.

The Aizhai Bridge, which spans the Dehang Grand Canyon, is a prime attraction in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, Hunan province. [Photo provided to China Daily] ​

The steps are slick with salt. A late-January cold snap has glazed the walkway in thin ice, and a sharp wind rises from the canyon floor, cutting clean through thick winter clothes.

Driving across the Aizhai Bridge in Hunan province provides a surreal experience high above the clouds. [Photo provided to China Daily] ​

The road they built stretched barely 6 kilometers, yet it twisted through 13 hairpin turns carved into a slope only a few hundred meters high. In places, 26 switchbacks seemed stacked almost on top of each other.

A woman of the Miao ethnic group is dressed in traditional attire adorned with elaborate silver accessories. MEI TAO / FOR CHINA DAILY ​

"The microclimate here is extreme," says Zhang Yongjian, a former deputy chief engineer of the bridge project.

Fog blankets the area for nearly half the year. Winter temperatures on the mountain run five degrees lower than in the valley below, sharply limiting the construction window, Zhang adds.

Teenagers visit the Aizhai Bridge in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, Hunan province, to experience the engineering marvel. [Photo provided to China Daily] ​

Visitors from across China and abroad traveled to see the engineering feat, recalls Shi, who has spent more than a decade guiding tourists.

An aerial view of a road near the Aizhai Bridge folded against the mountain like a silk ribbon. [Photo provided to China Daily] ​

Below, the old winding mountain road is still there, folded against the mountain like a silk ribbon. The treetop police post is gone, and traffic along the old highway has thinned significantly, according to local authorities.

Visitors can experience diverse ethnic cultures in western Hunan province. MEI TAO / FOR CHINA DAILY ​

Eighteen kilometers away lies Shibadong village — where a national poverty alleviation campaign was first articulated in 2013. Improved transportation has brought a steady stream of visitors eager to experience local culture and crafts.

Among them is Mian embroidery, a traditional skill now finding new markets.

Visitors can experience diverse ethnic cultures in western Hunan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]​

责编：黄思婷

一审：黄思婷

二审：王柯沣

三审：秦慧英

来源：中国日报网