This week’s Monument Monday is a bit on the dangerous side. The Guoliang Tunnel in the Henan Province of China is a man-made tunnel that was created because the The village of Guoliang had a problem: their only connection to civilization was a narrow, slippery set of stairs called the “Sky Ladder” that was both difficult to travel through and dangerous.
The tunnel links the Guoliang village to the outside through the Taihang Mountains, which are situated in the Huixian, Xinxiang, Henan Province of China. After seeking the help from the government for years in order to have a connection with the rest of society, the villagers decided to take matters into their own hands after being constantly ignored. They built the Guoliang Tunnel, only using hand tools and a lot of patience.
It look five years to finish the tunnel, which was about 5 meters high and 4 meters wide when it was first built. Now, the tunnel is 15 feet high and 12 feet wide and a tight squeeze for vehicles. Some of the villagers died during the construction, yet they still continued construction. In 1977, the tunnel was opened to traffic. The tunnel is extremely dangerous, and carved pillars are the only thing keeping you from falling to death in certain areas. There are plenty of twists and turns in this tunnel, which would make any traveler nervous at the upcoming blind spots.
photo via Wall Look
The Guoliang Tunnel is a scenic route that has man made “windows” of various shapes and sizes that make admiring the scenery (and yes, you can see the depths below) very accessible.
photo via Atlas Obscura
The original goal of the tunnel to help villagers from this isolated town reach civilization is now a huge tourist spot, giving this formerly unknown village lots of tourism and revenue. Now, there are hotels and hiking spots that are meant for tourists, but checking for updates before going is important since there’s limited access to the area.
Check out this video of Cadillac ATS vs The World – China as they take on the Guoliang Tunnel:
