1 00:00:00,762 --> 00:00:05,248 The final megaproject featured in our series perfectly highlights both China’s ongoing 2 00:00:05,248 --> 00:00:10,576 struggle to maintain its unprecedented growth, and the unbelievable ambition 3 00:00:10,576 --> 00:00:12,053 that’s fueling its rise. 4 00:00:12,053 --> 00:00:16,065 A constant challenge for most big cities is that there’s only so much land to build 5 00:00:16,065 --> 00:00:21,097 on. For Hong Kong and Shenzhen - two neighboring metropolises with a total population of nearly 6 00:00:21,097 --> 00:00:27,118 20 million - the boundary it’s running into is water. Specifically, the Pearl River Delta, 7 00:00:28,018 --> 00:00:32,917 which separates the uber-populated eastern corridor from the far lesser populated cities 8 00:00:33,079 --> 00:00:36,390 of Macau and Zhuhai on its western shore. 9 00:00:36,039 --> 00:00:40,388 Today, to get to Macau (Ma-Cow) after landing at Hong Kong International airport, you are 10 00:00:40,739 --> 00:00:46,480 faced with either a four hour drive around the mouth of the delta, or a long ferry ride 11 00:00:46,048 --> 00:00:47,120 through frequently rough waters. 12 00:00:48,002 --> 00:00:54,008 But that’s about to change, thanks to a $17 billion six-lane, multi-part bridge that 13 00:00:54,026 --> 00:00:57,095 will cut the trip down to a 45 minute drive. 14 00:00:57,329 --> 00:01:02,910 It is an incredibly complex project, and includes cost and construction sharing agreements between 15 00:01:02,091 --> 00:01:07,000 mainland China and its special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. 16 00:01:07,819 --> 00:01:12,894 Inspired by both the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in the US and the Øresund Bridge that connects 17 00:01:13,569 --> 00:01:18,634 Denmark and Sweden, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge will not only have to withstand typhoons, 18 00:01:19,219 --> 00:01:24,225 but to avoid cutting off one of the world’s busiest shipping routes into Hong Kong and 19 00:01:24,279 --> 00:01:31,560 its unusually deep natural harbor it will plunge underwater as a tunnel. And at 28km, 20 00:01:31,056 --> 00:01:38,605 its longest stretch will be as if 15 Golden Gate bridges were lined up end-to-end-to-end-to-end. 21 00:01:39,109 --> 00:01:44,138 And that’s not even the craziest part. Because Shenzhen doesn’t want to be left out, it 22 00:01:44,399 --> 00:01:50,450 too will build a megabridge across the delta just a few miles to the north. 23 00:01:50,909 --> 00:01:54,968 Basically, the region is booming so fast, and competition to tap into the cheaper land 24 00:01:55,499 --> 00:02:00,517 and labor available on the western side is so great, that Shenzhen and Hong Kong have 25 00:02:00,679 --> 00:02:05,734 both committed to building multi-billion dollar megabridges, and will essentially race to 26 00:02:06,229 --> 00:02:08,270 see who finishes theirs first. 27 00:02:08,026 --> 00:02:12,036 As you can see from a close look at the map, cities with populations totaling more than 28 00:02:13,017 --> 00:02:19,056 40 million people surrounding the delta, thus revealing the master plan: to lay the foundation 29 00:02:19,056 --> 00:02:24,081 for China’s second megalopolis, an urban area that could eventually exceed 100 million 30 00:02:24,081 --> 00:02:24,169 residents. 31 00:02:25,069 --> 00:02:29,107 We started this video with Jing-Jin-Ji, and we’re ending it with what I’m calling 32 00:02:30,007 --> 00:02:36,011 Hong-Guang-Zhong. Two megalopolises, each serving as perfect bookends to our story of 33 00:02:36,047 --> 00:02:41,070 China, a country that is counting on infrastructure megaprojects like those we’re profiled to 34 00:02:41,007 --> 00:02:46,068 serve as the foundation for its rapid urbanization. But how well it manages that urbanization 35 00:02:47,031 --> 00:02:54,037 will largely define whether it continues its ambitious rise for the rest of the 21st century. 36 00:02:54,037 --> 00:02:57,098 Thanks for watching. And please hit that like button to share this topic of conversation 37 00:02:57,098 --> 00:03:01,137 with your friends and followers if you found it as interesting as I did, and subscribe 38 00:03:02,037 --> 00:03:06,045 if you haven’t yet to this channel. Until next time, for TDC, I’m Bryce Plank.