THE HIGHWAY OF HOPE

Among the celebrated scenic spots in southwest Yunnan Province, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture is not on the frequently mentioned list. In the past, a lack of transportation infrastructure used to prevent many tourists from catching a glimpse of the region’s breathtaking vistas, so they were known only to niche travelers.

With over 98 percent of the land being covered with undulating mountains, valleys and rivers, transportation infrastructure has long been on the region’s development agenda but such projects have been hard to implement on the ground. Cliffs, frequent falling rocks and landslides have made road construction there a life-and-death endeavor. Several simple roads built over the past decades have been of poor quality and in constant need of repair.

Under these conditions, a road stretching 300 km linking Lushui,