This Week

Major breakthroughs have been achieved in fields such as engineering construction, shipbuilding, and astronomy.

Hardcore capabilities are making headlines once again.

Setting New World Records

Lion Rock Bridge Main Towers Topped Out

A new world record was set! Around 11:00 AM on March 26th, a key control project of the Lion Rock Channel, a core hub project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area—the Lion Rock Bridge—saw the topping out of its east and west main towers, marking the transition to superstructure construction.

The Lion Rock Bridge is the world’s first double-deck suspension bridge with a span exceeding 2,000 meters, featuring a “single-span crossing” of 2,180 meters. Upon completion, it will set five world records for a double-deck suspension bridge: “main span length, number of traffic lanes, main tower height, anchor diameter, and main cable diameter.” A remarkable feat of engineering!

“Giant” Enters Service

China Delivers New Generation of Self-Developed Ultra-Large Crude Oil Carrier

On March 25th, the 307,000-ton ultra-large crude oil carrier “Jun Wang” was successfully delivered. This vessel is a new generation of ultra-large crude oil carrier independently researched, designed, and developed.

The “Jun Wang” is approximately 333 meters long and 60 meters wide, with a deck area exceeding 18,000 square meters. Its height from the keel to the bridge is close to that of a 20-story building, making it a true “giant.”

World’s First

Guo Shoujing Telescope Releases Over 30 Million Spectra

It has been announced that, as of now, the number of spectra released by the Guo Shoujing Telescope (LAMOST), a major national science and technology infrastructure, has surpassed 30 million, maintaining its position as the sky survey project with the largest number of published spectra internationally. These spectra have been compiled into the LAMOST DR13 (v1.0) dataset and officially released to domestic astronomers and international collaborators.

△The Guo Shoujing Telescope (LAMOST) located in Xinglong, Hebei

Achieving Multiple World Firsts

China’s DRO Test Satellites Achieve Series of Breakthroughs

It was announced at the “Science and Technology Forum on the Development and Utilization of Cislunar Space” held on March 25th that three test satellites for the Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) pilot exploration mission, independently deployed, have been conducting in-orbit experiments for two years.

They have accomplished the world’s first low-energy DRO insertion, verifying the stable residence of spacecraft in DRO, low-energy consumption orbital transfer, and new principles for space-based measurement, orbit determination, and navigation.

They have established a K-band inter-satellite link spanning 1.17 million kilometers, becoming the world’s first

Lion Rock Bridge

The Lion Rock Bridge is a prominent railway bridge located in Hong Kong, crossing the Lion Rock Tunnel. It was constructed in the 1970s as part of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (now the East Rail Line) to improve transportation links between Kowloon and the New Territories. The bridge is named after the iconic Lion Rock mountain, a famous local landmark symbolizing Hong Kong’s resilience.

Lion Rock Channel

The Lion Rock Channel is a narrow strait in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, historically separating Hong Kong Island from Kowloon. It was a crucial shipping lane during the colony’s early development and is named for the iconic Lion Rock mountain on the Kowloon side, which resembles a crouching lion. Today, it remains a significant part of the harbour’s busy maritime traffic.

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a major national development strategy in China, integrating nine cities in Guangdong Province with the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao into a world-class city cluster. Historically, the Pearl River Delta has long been a vital economic and cultural hub, with Hong Kong and Macao developing distinct identities under colonial rule before their returns in 1997 and 1999, respectively. The initiative, formally launched around 2017, aims to deepen cooperation and leverage the combined strengths of these areas to create a leading global center for innovation, finance, and trade.

Jun Wang

“Jun Wang” is not a widely recognized specific place or cultural site in global historical or travel references. It is most commonly a personal name in Chinese culture, with “Jun” (君) often meaning “gentleman” or “ruler” and “Wang” (王) meaning “king.” Without a specific geographic or cultural context (like a temple, museum, or historic district with this name), it is not possible to provide a historical summary.

Guo Shoujing Telescope

The Guo Shoujing Telescope, also known as LAMOST (Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope), is a major astronomical facility in China that began operations in 2008. Located at the Xinglong Observatory in Hebei Province, it is a unique reflecting Schmidt telescope designed to capture the spectra of millions of celestial objects, creating a detailed 3D map of the Milky Way. It is named in honor of Guo Shoujing, a renowned 13th-century Chinese astronomer and engineer of the Yuan Dynasty.

LAMOST

LAMOST, or the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope, is a major astronomical observatory located in China. Commissioned in 2008, it is a special reflecting Schmidt telescope designed to capture the spectra of millions of celestial objects, making it a key instrument for surveying the Milky Way. Its unprecedented capability to observe thousands of targets simultaneously has greatly advanced the study of galactic structure and stellar evolution.

Xinglong, Hebei

Xinglong is a county-level city in northeastern Hebei Province, China, historically known as a strategic pass along the Great Wall. It is renowned for its natural scenery within the Yanshan Mountains and its development as a popular mountain resort area. Historically, the region was part of the ancient Yan state and contains sections of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, such as at Wuling Mountain.

Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) test satellites

The Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) is not a cultural site but a unique orbital path in space, tested by satellites like NASA’s CAPSTONE mission in 2022. This stable orbit around the Moon is significant because it is the same orbit planned for the future Lunar Gateway space station. The test aimed to validate orbital models and navigation techniques for long-term lunar exploration.