BEIJING, Dec. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On December 26, 2025, the 22.13-kilometer Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world’s longest highway tunnel, officially opened to traffic today, making traveling between northern and southern Xinjiang more convenient and shortening the journey from Urumqi to Korla from seven hours to three hours and a half.
How the World’s Longest Highway Tunnel Conquers the Tianshan Mountains？
Crossing 16 major fault zones under high ground stress, severe cold, and high altitude, the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel project represents a major engineering achievement for China.
To better introduce the Project, the three-episode short documentary series, The Youth Moving Mountains, co-produced by Xinjiang Radio and Television Station and Xufang International Media, CICG, captures this grand endeavor from an international perspective. Hosted by American presenter Jack Klumpp, the series delves deep into the tunnel, unfolding across three episodes: The Tunnelers, The Pioneers, and The Guardians. It showcases not only technical feats but also the spirit of the builders.
The episode The Pioneers is particularly compelling. Following the host to the No. 2 shaft worksite at an altitude of 3,613 meters, it focuses on a section director Dong Jialiang, who was born in 1990s. In the uninhabited extreme cold, he and his team started from scratch-transforming from novices into skilled leaders through determination and teamwork.
YouTube Link：https://youtu.be/dP3WIHCH3h8