There are 1.18 million km of highways in China, including 68
national highways. The nation is going full steam ahead in the
construction of expressways and first and second-grade motor roads.
Construction of expressways and first-and second-class highways for
the nation's tourism industry is in high swing. Several dozen
expressways pivoted on such major cities as Beijing, Shanghai,
Shenyang, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Taiyuan and Xi'an have been
completed and opened to traffic. Sections of the Lianyungang-Alataw
(Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) Expressway, which runs across
the Chinese continent from east to west, and the Beijing-Hong Kong
Expressway, cutting through the country from south to north, will
come under construction soon. Impressive improvement had been
achieved in China's highway transportation by the end of the 20th
century.
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 100 km per hour.
(www.airchina.com.cn)