Traveling by road instead of by air or by rail is no doubt a unique way of learning about China.

   By the end of 2005, the total mileage of all highways in China had already reached 1.9305 million kilometers (1,199,557 miles), carrying a passenger volume of 16.92 billion people a year. With a total of 35,000 kilometers (21,748 miles), the overall length of the expressways in China is the second longest in the world. Almost all Chinese cities, counties and towns are accessible by highways. In 1988, the first expressway (Shanghai City - Jiading County) in China was opened to traffic. Now, 29 provinces have expressways of 500 kilometers (311 miles) or more, and 19 provinces, such as Shandong, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Henan, Hebei, have expressways more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). Tibet still has no expressways due to its rugged terrain. As the capital of China, Beijing is the starting point of 11 national highways, radiating out to all parts of the country, including cities such as Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin, Jinan, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, Taiyuan and Xian. Bridge and tunnel construction, which is absolutely necessary to highway building in some special areas, also has achieved great success. By the end of 2005, there were 336,600 highway bridges. Of these, Runyang and Jiangyin Suspension Bridges over the Yangtze River, in Jiangsu Province, spanning over 1,385 meters (1,515 yards) and 1,490 meters (1,629 yards) respectively, are the third and fourth largest highway bridges in the world.

 

   Provincial capital cities are highway passenger transport centers that operate regular bus services to and from various prefectures, cities, counties and towns in their respective provinces and autonomous regions. The numbers of tourist buses in large and medium-sized cities and sleeper-buses that run across provincial boundaries are on the increase. Expressway transport in China is characterized by top-notch and speedy services and simplified procedures, and express buses are dispatched in a streamlined fashion to guarantee prompt arrivals. Most vehicles running along these expressways are imported or joint venture products that are well equipped and designed and have durable functions. Service in these buses is on a par with airline service, and they run at an average speed of 100km per hour.