--- description: Chinese leader Xi Jinping opened the world's longest sea-crossing, a 34-mile, mega-bridge that connects Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macau title: China Officially Launched the World's Longest Sea-Crossing image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6996a83acd127a4/69893d37656a3f4a59bd5c51/gettyimages-990971906.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [China](/tag/china/) ## China Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # China Officially Launched the World's Longest Sea Bridge Linking Hong Kong and Macau to the Mainland by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 23, 2018 7:32 AM CUT  An aerial view shows the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in Zhuhai, China on June 11, 2018. An aerial view shows the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in Zhuhai, China on June 11, 2018.VCG/Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 23, 2018 7:32 AM CUT The world’s longest sea-crossing opened in southern China on Tuesday morning in an architectural and political feat that spans 34-miles and links Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland. After two years of delays and reportedly more than [one billion dollars](https://qz.com/1431891/photos-of-the-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-before-it-opens-oct-24/ "undefined") over budget, the mega-bridge was inaugurated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in an opening ceremony in Zhuhai. Made from over 400,000 tons of steel, the bridge connects the financial hub of Hong Kong, the gambling enclave of Macau and the southern mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai across the Pearl River Estuaries. It consists of a four-mile underwater tunnel, two artificial islands and 14-miles of oversea bridge. The exact cost of project has not been disclosed, but Hong Kong [invested](https://www.scmp.com/video/hong-kong/2169182/what-you-need-know-about-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge "undefined") $15.3 billion into it, the South China Morning _Post_ reports. Officials have billed the bridge as a conduit to boost trade and tourism between the western Pearl River Delta and China’s southern provinces, a key manufacturing region. The bridge, one of the world’s longest, will shrink commute times between the three cities. But critics call the project a white elephant. Dubbed the “[bridge of death](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-45937924 "undefined")” by some local media, the construction was dogged by corruption allegations and reports of workers’ deaths. Some also see the project as an indication of Beijing’s territorial assertion over the semi-autonomous cities of Macau, a former Portuguese colony, and Hong Kong, a former British colony. General traffic will be permitted to begin crossing the overpass on Wednesday. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5431626/china-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-opens/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5431626/china-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-opens/"},"headline":"China Officially Launched the World's Longest Sea Bridge Linking Hong Kong and Macau to the Mainland","datePublished":"2018-10-23T07:32:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:48:40.367Z","description":"The 34-mile mega-bridge connects Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau","url":"https://time.com/5431626/china-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-opens/","keywords":["China","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6996a83acd127a4/69893d37656a3f4a59bd5c51/gettyimages-990971906.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6996a83acd127a4/69893d37656a3f4a59bd5c51/gettyimages-990971906.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Aerial View Of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge","caption":"Aerial View Of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge","creditText":"VCG/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/china/","name":"China"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5431626/china-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-opens/","name":"China Officially Launched the World's Longest Sea Bridge Linking Hong Kong and Macau to the Mainland"}}]}] ```