China boasts some of the world’s most extreme and dangerous tunnel roads in the world, that draw thrill seekers from all over. The roads have been built through sheer cliffs and rugged mountains, often by local villagers using the most rudimentary instruments.
Entire communities in remote areas were once cut off with only steep, dangerous footpaths as access, until residents took matters into their own ends, quite literally. Many of China’s most infamous tunnel roads are to be found in Henan province, where winding passages and narrow openings make for nerve-wracking drives for those game enough to run the gauntlet. However, perhaps one of the most dangerous of these cliff roads is located in Wuxi county, in China’s southwest.
The Lanying Cliff Road winds its way along the southern slopes of the central Daba mountains and is the only transportation route that connects the village with the same name to the outside world.
Before its construction, locals had to go on a mammoth trek that lasted almost an entire day just to exit the mountainous area. The hike involved a six-hour climb up some rickety-looking stairs that did not inspire much confidence.
Growing tired of the long hike and its dangers, villagers decided they would build a road along the cliffside.
Twenty three villagers from several families chiselled out a road from the rock face in less than 20 years between 1986 and its completion in 2001. Each family was apportioned a section to work on, which they diligently did so over the course of the 15 years.
The paved road is today 1.2 kilometres long and extremely narrow, barely wide enough to accommodate a car.
Perched about 3,000 feet (1,000 metres) above the ground, it is also one of the most dangerous in the world, with no room for error for car drivers.
Yet for those brave enough to chance their arm, the drive along this hand-carved road offers some of the most stunning views of the Lanying Grand Canyon.
Suffice to say, drivers are unlikely to get stuck in traffic jams along this route and are likely to have the road all to themselves.
The Guoliang Tunnel is another fine example of local ingenuity and perhaps China’s most famous mountain road. It was built in the 1970s by local villagers determined to improve accessibility to their rural settlement.