Hey there, curious travelers! 🌏 Have you ever wished you could zip between amazing cities in just one hour? Well, in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (that’s a mouthful, so we call it GBA), that dream is coming true! 🚀
The Magic Bridge Connecting Cities 🌉
Imagine a bridge so long it connects three big places: Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macao. That’s the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (or HZMB for short). It opened on October 23, 2018, and it’s like a giant Y-shaped road over the sea! Since then, over 62 million people and 12 million vehicles have used it to travel between these cities. Wow! 😲
Drive Your Car Across Borders 🚗
Here’s some cool news for car lovers! Starting January 1, 2023, people from Macao can drive their own cars to Guangdong Province using the bridge without special permissions. Hong Kong folks got the same privilege six months later. Now, more than 34,000 private cars from Macao are hitting the road and exploring new places! 🗺️
Zooming Through Gongbei Port 🛃
Gongbei Port is like a busy gateway between Zhuhai and Macao. Since Macao returned to China, over 2.2 billion trips have passed through this port! That’s like every person on Earth traveling through it… twice! On the busiest days, nearly 500,000 people cross the border. And guess what? On November 20, 2024, they started a super cool “card-free” customs channel to make crossing even faster! 🏃♂️💨
Lightning-Fast Trains 🚆
The Hengqin line of the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) is a speedy train that started running on December 2, 2024. It connects Macao and Hengqin in Zhuhai. The journey is only 2.2 kilometers and takes about two minutes! Trains come every six minutes, so you never have to wait long. It’s like a roller coaster that takes you places! 🎢
Bringing Everyone Closer Together 🤝
With bridges, trains, and new policies, the GBA is becoming one big happy family. It’s now easier than ever to visit friends, go shopping, or explore new cities. The “one-hour living circle” means you can get to many exciting places in just an hour or less. So, where will you go next? Adventure awaits! 🧭
Reference(s):
Macao by numbers: 'One-hour living circle' to become reality
cgtn.com
