On November 13, 2025, in Ma’erkang City, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, the “Hongqi Grand Bridge” collapsed with a loud roar. Officials attributed the collapse to a landslide, but on-site workers and experts alike questioned the improper site selection and surveying for the bridge. Bridge expert Zhu Xueye analyzed that the landslide spread from a distance to the bridge head, indicating a high geological risk area and exposing decision-making errors and bureaucratic corruption, stating that “this is not a technical issue, but a political issue”.
Around 4 pm on November 11, the Hongqi Grand Bridge, also known as the “Bridge in the Clouds,” collapsed into the upper reaches of the Dadu River, just ten months after the completion of the main span in Baiwan Township.
According to reports from the Red Star News and other media outlets, cracks were discovered on the bridge on the right bank of the Hongqi Grand Bridge on National Highway 317 on November 10. By the 12th, both ends of the highway were blocked, with reports of rumbling sounds indicating a potential collapse.
The Hongqi Grand Bridge, connecting Ma’erkang, Jinchuan, and Rangtang, has a total length of 758 meters, a main span of 220 meters, and a main pier height of 172 meters. Once deemed a “landmark project” reshaping the transportation network in northwest Sichuan, it has now turned into a short-lived tragedy.
An on-site worker responsible for installing power generation equipment at a local hydropower station witnessed the bridge collapse and reported to the media that the cause was the rising reservoir water level leading to a landslide, causing the collapse. He mentioned that the landslide occurred at the other end of the bridge where it connected to the mountainside due to the softened soil from water infiltration.
The worker revealed that the inspection team had discovered cracks in the mountainside a day before the incident on November 10 and had closed the road in advance. He emphasized the importance of early detection to avoid potential disasters on this route which they traverse daily.
Currently, around eight or nine hundred workers at the construction site are stranded as vehicles are unable to leave, leading to a halt in construction activities. The worker also expressed concerns about delayed wages after working at the site for two months.
Several netizens pointed out that the loose structure and low cohesion of the mountains in the Aba region, suggesting that the reservoir water storage could impact the mountainside structure. Some also believed that the construction work may have destabilized the mountain structure leading to the collapse.
Dr. Zhu Xueye, a senior structural bridge design engineer from the United States, suggested after reviewing limited images and video footage that the accident involved a landslide that caused the bridge to collapse. He emphasized the importance of this sequence of events.
The official announcement attributed the bridge collapse to a “slope crack caused by a landslide,” but public and expert skepticism arose subsequently. Questions regarding why the newly built bridge, just ten months old, failed to predict geological risks, and whether there were flaws in construction and design or systemic corruption behind the scenes were raised.
Dr. Zhu Xueye pointed out from the terrain that the small mountain between the approach bridge and the main bridge had experienced landslides in the past, indicating an evident accumulation caused by landslides with steep slopes between 45 to 60 degrees. Despite stable deep-seated bedrock, the surface layers of soil and rock within tens of meters were vulnerable to weathering, erosion, and water infiltration, becoming loose and unstable over time.
Observing the footage, Dr. Zhu remarked that the part connecting the main bridge and the approach bridge remained intact even after being torn apart, indicating the relative stability of the main bridge structure, hence ruling out construction or design flaws based on this observation.
Dr. Zhu strongly questioned the site selection process being influenced by the political decisions of the Chinese Communist Party. He criticized the lack of engineering background leading to the questionable choice of building the approach bridge on such a risky slope, which he found perplexing.
When asked whether underestimating the geological complexity of the reservoir area or simplifying survey work contributed to the collapse, Dr. Zhu clarified that geological exploration is a specialized, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly task requiring extensive data collection and analysis of soil mechanics properties and slope stability to make informed decisions.
He stressed that a conclusive assessment must affirm that “the mountainside is absolutely stable or has an extremely low probability of landslides” before approving bridge construction.
Dr. Zhu further noted that if the mountainside also serves as a dam abutment, the problem worsens significantly due to changes in the mountainside’s water content and weight caused by reservoir water storage, potentially leading to repositioning even in the absence of landslides.
He admitted, “I do not have insights into what kind of geological exploration the construction team conducted at that time. From a professional standpoint, this was a high-risk location and should not have been chosen for bridge construction. Safety should always be the top priority in any engineering project.”
Dr. Zhu emphasized that decision-making on engineering projects under the Chinese Communist regime often disregarded professionalism, closely tied to power and vested interests. He added, “It’s not about whether it can be done, but whether it should be done.”
He remarked that China possesses some of the world’s richest bridge-building experiences with leading design and construction technologies. However, he pointed out that the quality of construction reflects “human factors” rather than technical issues.
Dr. Zhu speculated that this incident was more of a political problem than an engineering issue.
“In China, many situations are decided by leaders rather than engineering professionals, possibly due to budget limitations or the desire to achieve political or GDP goals, resulting in the forceful selection of sites where bridges should not be built.”
Comparing the construction of similar bridges overseas, Dr. Zhu highlighted that bridge foundations are usually placed closer to the foot of the slope for stability, with the ground leveled to reduce impact on bridge piers. In contrast, he found the placement of the Hongqi Bridge against the mountaintop without deeply anchored foundations to be inappropriate, likening such practices to child’s play.
When questioned about how such projects could still be approved at such sites, Dr. Zhu bluntly stated, “There are political considerations at play here along with potential profit motives. Such issues are not uncommon in China and are a product of the Communist Party system. Dig a little deeper and it’s highly likely tied to high-level corrupt practices.”
Based on his observations from the video footage, Dr. Zhu speculated about the extensive range of the landslide, starting from afar and not just limited to the small mountain peak, describing the dry weather and significant dust indicating dry soil conditions rather than rainfall as the cause. He questioned, “Why build a bridge here? Was the landslide risk not identified during the survey?”
He raised doubts such as whether leadership was insistent on having the bridge pass through that site or involved territorial or personal interests in the decision-making process.
The collapse of the Hongqi Grand Bridge has shocked the world and exposed deep-rooted fractures in China’s infrastructure system. Dr. Zhu criticized that from geological surveys to construction supervision, the entire project chain may have been contaminated by bureaucratic corruption under the Chinese Communist regime. He criticized the lack of experience leading some individuals without authority to be appointed in testing agencies based on connections rather than merit.
“In China, engineering professionals often lack decision-making power, and institutional corruption prevents good designs from being implemented,” emphasized Dr. Zhu.
“Problems encountered in major infrastructure projects like the Three Gorges Dam or the Sanmenxia Dam are political issues, stemming from the corrosion caused by the Communist Party throughout society.”