"Super shocking! It feels like a wandering earth."

"At first glance, I thought it was a special effect."

"Another century of engineering, a tribute to the builders."

………

At the beginning of the new year, a short video of the night construction of the Pinglu Canal was flooded with the social media platform, and many netizens were amazed. Is the scene really so shocking? How can such a huge project be carried out stably and orderly?

With these questions, the reporter came to the Pinglu Canal construction site to find out.

The dew is heavy in the middle of the night, the sky is full of stars, the tower crane arm is rising and falling, and the engineering vehicles are flowing continuously... In the whistling cold wind, Liu Fei, chief engineer of the project of the Youth Hub, the third cascade hub of the Pinglu Canal, is busy directing workers to excavate the downstream slope of the ship lock and build the ship piers, laying a solid foundation for subsequent cofferdam filling and diversion work. In the distance, hundreds of workers performed their duties and carried out reinforcement binding and formwork installation in an orderly manner.

Scenarios like this have happened almost every day since the Pinglu Canal started construction. Liu Fei smiled and said, "We have been accustomed to the scenes that everyone finds incredible."

overlooking the construction site of the Pinglu Canal Youth Hub. Photo by Lei Qijun, People's Daily

As the backbone project of the new western land-sea channel, the Pinglu Canal is the first direct river and sea canal since the founding of New China. Construction started on August 28, 2022 and is planned to be completed in 2026. After completion, the voyage into the sea in the middle and upper reaches of the Xijiang River will be shortened by about 560 kilometers, and the Guangxi inland river shipping network, the waterways and marine transportation in some areas of Yunnan and Guizhou will be directly connected, changing the current situation of Guangxi's seaside but no rivers are directly navigated into the sea, and further unleashing shipping advantages and potential.

The youth hub in the river-sea junction basin is a key point for the Pinglu Canal to connect the river and the sea. For all builders, the construction period is a "military order".

"Every step of construction is related to the overall situation of the canal. We cannot retreat, and there is no way out. Everyone has only one thought in their minds - to complete the task on schedule." Liu Fei said with a firm tone and a firm expression. Following the construction route, the reporter visited the three cascade hubs of the Pinglu Canal from south to north in turn. The construction rhythm was still very hot.

Pinglu Canal Hippo Road Hub Construction Site. People's Daily Photo by Lei Qijun

Construction site of the Pinglu Canal Qishi Hub. Photo by Lei Qijun, People's Daily

"Safety channel must be unobstructed! Safety buckles for high-altitude operations must be firmly locked! Temporary power wiring ensure safety!" When the reporter saw Liu Hongguo, the safety officer of the Pinglu Canal Qishi Hub, he was shouting loudly with the help of a loudspeaker. Liu Hongguo had to conduct such inspections every one or two hours.

Not only should you "moving your mouth" remind workers to pay attention to safety regulations, but you should also "moving your legs" to check for hidden dangers and find problems. You have to take more than 10,000 steps in just a short day. "This is a century project. It is my honor to be involved in it and I am worthy of being proud of my life. I will definitely stand on my post and make sure that everything is foolproof through repeated investigations." A proud smile appeared on Liu Hongguo's dark face.

Pinglu Canal Construction Schedule Command Center. Photo by Lei Qijun, People's Daily

Leaving the construction front line, the reporter came to the Pinglu Canal Construction Dispatch and Command Center. On the big screen, updated data are jumping in real time, intuitively mapping the progress and construction trends of the canal construction.

"This is the first full-life cycle digital twin smart canal in the country that we have built. It can be said to be our 'strongest brain'." Yan Qiang, deputy director of the Science and Information Department of Pinglu Canal Group, said proudly.

Through Beidou satellite, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, BIM (building information model), GIS (geographic information system) and other scientific and technological means, this digital twin smart canal can perceive data in real time and in realizing the dynamic "one-picture overview" of the canal, the "one-stop service" of engineering construction, and the "one-brain intelligent control" of decision-making and command. Once the data is abnormal, the system will immediately issue an alarm to remind the staff to make timely judgments and deal with it.

The right side of the Qinjiang Bridge of the Pinglu Canal G75 Lanhai Expressway has been completed and opened to traffic. Photo provided by Pinglu Canal Group

After the two-day full trip, the reporter's questions disappeared, and he felt the hard work of transforming the grand blueprint into a real-life picture. A river of spring water flows to the south, and a light boat "easy" across thousands of mountains - such a beautiful vision will definitely become a reality in the near future.