When the corpse count is zero but the prestige damage is fatal, the CCP suddenly discovers the virtue of moving on quietly.

Introduction: The Hongqi Grand Bridge collapse in Sichuan’s Tibetan region on Nov. 11 bears a striking parallel to an earlier collapse, that of the Shaanxi Shangluo Expressway Bridge on July 19, 2024 in northwest China. Both incidents were classified as particularly serious, yet they were met with vastly different responses from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership.

German-based hydrology expert Wang Weiluo, and author of the following report, wonders if China’s tallest dam project and the involvement of prestigious design and construction players have something to do with the quiet surrounding the Hongqi bridge collapse. In Wang’s assessment there is little doubt about the primary cause of why it failed: a landslide triggered by reservoir impoundment at the aforementioned Shuangjiangkou Dam.

By Wang Weiluo | Published by Yibao China

Original link: https://yibaochina.com/?p=256976

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Why did the Hongqi Grand Bridge collapse on November 11, 2025, and the Shangluo Expressway Bridge in Shaanxi Province collapse on July 19, 2024?

Overview

On November 11, 2025, the Hongqi Grand Bridge in Shuangjiangkou, Ma’erkang City, on National Highway 317 collapsed. Officials stated there were no quality issues, and the primary cause was a landslide. However, media reports listed various possible causes, including incorrect bridge site selection, bridge design problems, poor construction quality of the bridge and road, disturbance during construction leading to landslides, and reservoir impoundment causing landslides. This author believes the primary cause of the Hongqi Grand Bridge collapse was a landslide triggered by reservoir impoundment. It can be said that the Hongqi Grand Bridge, as part of the Shuangjiangkou Reservoir dam resettlement project and the reconstruction of National Highway 317, suffered problems at every stage of its construction, from planning and surveying to design, approval, construction, supervision, acceptance, and operation and maintenance.

In 2025, three major bridge collapses occurred in China , but the most comparable to the Hongqi Bridge collapse, in my opinion, is the collapse of the Shangluo Expressway Bridge in Shaanxi Province on July 19, 2024. Following the collapse, Xi Jinping issued important instructions, Li Qiang issued directives, and Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing, Liu Guozhong, Wang Xiaohong, Wu Zhenglong, and Chen Yiqin also issued their own directives. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing led relevant department heads to the scene to guide rescue and relief efforts. A press conference was held by the Shangluo Municipal Party Committee and Government, with Party Secretary Zhao Jing personally introducing the situation. An investigation and assessment team composed of the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Water Resources released its report on March 7, 2025, demonstrating that the entire procedure for handling a major accident was followed in a standard and orderly manner. However, after the Hongqi Grand Bridge collapse, a particularly serious accident, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and others did not issue any instructions or directives. The Vice Premier did not rush to the scene, nor did the leaders of Sichuan Province arrive at the scene. Aba Prefecture and Ma’erkang City did not hold any press conferences. The CCP’s procedures for handling particularly serious accidents have completely disappeared, and its attention to national security has also vanished.

The only answer is: The top leadership of the CCP in November 2025 will be like the Manchu princes and Han officials who pledged allegiance to the imperial power before the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. They will not be thinking about the national economy and people’s livelihood, nor about the future of the country, but only about how to maintain the Communist Party’s long-term and absolute control over China, maintain the power in their hands, and protect the economic interests of their families.

I. The Hongqi Grand Bridge collapsed; officials stated there were no quality issues, and the main cause was a landslide.

On November 11, 2025, at 8:22 p.m., Xinhua News Agency published a report by Wang Xi, a reporter from the Chengdu bureau, titled “The Hongqi Bridge at Shuangjiangkou, Ma’erkang City, on National Highway 317 Collapses. The report in “No casualties” [1] states: On November 11, reporters learned from the Publicity Department of the Ma’erkang Municipal Committee of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, that at around 4 p.m. that day, a landslide occurred on the right bank of the Hongqi Bridge at Shuangjiangkou, Ma’erkang City, on National Highway 317, causing the bridge to collapse. There were no casualties at the scene. Reporters learned from the Aba Prefecture Public Security and Transportation Departments that due to cracks appearing on the bridge surface and slope on the 10th, temporary traffic control was implemented on the Hongqi Bridge section of Shuangjiangkou, Ma’erkang City, on National Highway 317 on the 10th to ensure the safety of passing vehicles and pedestrians. During the control period, all vehicles are prohibited from passing through, and the time for lifting the control is yet to be determined. At the same time, the transportation department released a detour route from Rangtang County to Aba County to Hongyuan County to Chengdu City. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.

Figure 1: Xinhua News Agency reports, “The Hongqi Bridge at Shuangjiangkou, Ma’erkang City, on National Highway 317 collapsed; no casualties reported.” Image source: Xinhua News Agency.

About an hour before Xinhua News Agency released the news about the collapse of the Hongqi Bridge in Shuangjiangkou, the official website of Ma’erkang City, Ma’erkang Online, released the news, “Collapse of Roadbed and Approach Bridge near K381+030m of National Highway 317” at 19:47 [2]. At about 15:00 on November 10 , 2025, the right bank of the mountain near the Hongqi Bridge in Ma’erkang City on National Highway 317 (near K381+030m) showed deformation. The relevant units immediately took temporary traffic control measures and issued a “Traffic Control Notice”. At about 16:00 on November 11, due to the intensification of deformation and landslide, the roadbed and approach bridge of this section collapsed. Due to timely control, there were no casualties in the whole process. The rescue time cannot be estimated at present. Vehicles entering and leaving should follow the detour route in the “Traffic Control Notice”.

Figure 2: A report released online by Ma’erkang states that at approximately 4:00 a.m. on the 11th, due to intensified deformation and a landslide, the roadbed and approach bridge on this section collapsed. Image source: Yangtze Evening Post website.

According to the CCP’s propaganda apparatus, reports on all particularly serious accidents should be based on Xinhua News Agency’s version. However, this time, the CCP’s rules were broken, with many official media outlets, local media, and independent media reporting on the incidents without waiting for Xinhua’s standard report.

The numerous reports can be summarized into three main categories:

The first category of reports focuses on the collapse of the Shuangjiangkou Hongqi Grand Bridge, with supplementary reports that the bridge completed the concrete pouring of the closure beam section on January 14, 2025, and collapsed just over 10 months after the closure. The focus is on why the collapse occurred in such a short period of time.

The second type of report focuses on the fact that due to timely control measures, there were no casualties throughout the entire process, which is considered a miracle.

The third category of reports focused on the collapse of the Shuangjiangkou Hongqi Grand Bridge, but ultimately concentrated on the “miracle” that no one was injured in the entire process .

The rapid and widespread dissemination of the collapse of the Hongqi Bridge in Shuangjiangkou, Ma’erkang City, Sichuan Province, around the world was actually due to a video about the bridge’s collapse.

This video, which is more than 3 minutes long, records the entire process of the collapse of the Hongqi Bridge in Shuangjiangkou. It is a true record [3]. Obviously, the video creator came prepared and did not just take out his mobile phone to film the bridge collapse by chance. The video creator should be a local resident or a resident familiar with the local situation, or more likely, an immigrant from the Shuangjiangkou Dam project. I speculate that the video creator may be a Tibetan or Yi person. The video records the words, “The bridge is gone”. Judging from the tone of the voice, the speaker did not feel any fear or regret about the collapse of the Hongqi Bridge. Instead, he was very calm, as if the collapse of the Hongqi Bridge was expected. He was there waiting to record the entire process of this “miracle”.

This video is extremely valuable; many Chinese experts have used video footage to analyze the causes of the Hongqi Grand Bridge collapse. Here’s a brief summary of the possible main causes listed in the media:

Landslide

—Incorrect bridge site selection;

—Bridge design issues include the choice of bridge type;

—Quality issues in bridge and road construction include slope treatment;

—Disturbance caused by bridge and road construction led to landslides;

—The impoundment of water in the reservoir caused a landslide;

—The impoundment of water in the reservoir led to a large release of methane gas, which in turn caused landslides and other disasters.

While errors in bridge site selection, design flaws, and construction quality issues in both bridges and roads were indeed present, problems arose at every stage of the project, from planning and surveying to design, approval, construction, supervision, acceptance, and operation and maintenance. However, the author believes the primary cause of the Hongqi Grand Bridge collapse was a landslide triggered by reservoir impoundment (a related article will be published separately). The landslide caused by the large-scale release of methane gas due to reservoir impoundment also falls under the category of landslides caused by reservoir impoundment.

II. Three major bridges collapsed in China in 2025, but the most comparable one is the collapse of the Shangluo Expressway Bridge in Shaanxi Province on July 19, 2024 .

Following the collapse of the Shuangjiangkou Hongqi Bridge on November 11, 2025, many pointed out that such a rare safety incident as the collapse of a mega-bridge has already occurred three times in China in 2025:

First, on June 24, 2025, the Houzihe Grand Bridge in Sandu County, Guizhou Province, collapsed. The main span of the Houzihe Grand Bridge was 220 meters, and the piers were 135 meters high, equivalent to a 40-story building. Fortunately, the driver of the truck at the front braked in time, and no one was injured.

Second, on August 22, 2025, the Qinghai Jianzha County Yellow River Bridge, which was under construction and about to be completed and opened to traffic, collapsed, resulting in 12 deaths and 4 missing persons. The Jianzha County Yellow River Bridge was designed to be 1,596.2 meters long, with a main span of 366 meters and an investment of 436 million yuan.

Third, on November 11, 2025, the Hongqi Grand Bridge in Ma’erkang City, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, collapsed. Due to anomalies detected during a prior inspection, traffic control measures were implemented, and no casualties were reported. The Hongqi Grand Bridge is 758 meters long, with a main span of 220 meters, and an investment exceeding 300 million yuan.

In my opinion, the most comparable event to the collapse of the Hongqi Grand Bridge is the collapse of the Shaanxi Shangluo Expressway Bridge on July 19, 2024 .

At approximately 8:49 p.m. on July 19, 2024, the No. 2 bridge in Yanping Village on the Danning Expressway (Zhashui-Shanyang section) in Zhashui County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province, collapsed due to a flash flood, causing 25 vehicles to fall into the river. Ultimately, 62 people were confirmed dead or missing, and the direct economic loss amounted to 157.5141 million yuan.

The Shaanxi Shangluo Expressway Bridge officially commenced construction in September 2016. On October 31, 2018, the roadbed, bridge, and tunnel works were completed and accepted. Trial operation began in December. On January 13, 2023, the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Transportation organized and approved the project’s completion. From the completion of the acceptance inspection on January 13, 2023, to the bridge’s collapse on July 19, 2024, only a year and a half had passed.

Figure 3: At approximately 8:40 p.m. on July 19, 2024, a highway bridge in Zhashui County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province, was washed away by floodwaters, resulting in vehicles falling into the water and people missing. Image source: CCTV News.

Figure 4: At approximately 8:40 p.m. on July 19, 2024, a highway bridge in Zhashui County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province, was washed away by floodwaters, resulting in vehicles falling into the water and people missing. Image source: As shown above.

III. Why is it most comparable to the collapse of the expressway bridge in Shangluo, Shaanxi on July 19, 2024?

First, both the Hongqi Bridge collapse and the Shaanxi Shangluo Expressway bridge collapse are classified as particularly serious accidents. According to the relevant provisions of the State Council’s “Regulations on Reporting and Handling Production Safety Accidents” (effective from June 1, 2007), a particularly serious accident refers to one that causes 30 or more deaths, or 100 or more serious injuries (including acute industrial poisoning, the same below), or direct economic losses of more than 100 million yuan [4].

Figure 5: Regulations on Reporting and Handling Production Safety Accidents.

Although the collapse of the Hongqi Grand Bridge did not result in any casualties, it met the condition of direct economic losses exceeding 100 million yuan. The direct economic losses from the Hongqi Grand Bridge collapse are at least 300 million yuan, and possibly higher, because the collapse will lead to the rerouting of more than 50 kilometers of National Highway 317, rendering the previously invested 2.3 billion yuan completely useless. The cost of the future rerouting project will far exceed 2.3 billion yuan.

According to the “Regulations on Reporting and Handling Production Safety Accidents” formulated by the CCP, the methods and procedures for handling production safety accidents are classified according to the accident level, namely, particularly serious accidents, serious accidents, relatively serious accidents, and general accidents. The methods and procedures for handling particularly serious accidents are the same, without distinguishing whether there are casualties in particularly serious accidents.

Second, although both were major accidents involving bridge collapses, the level and methods of handling them by the CCP leadership were completely different.

The CCP leadership completely disregarded the collapse of the Hongqi Grand Bridge, as evidenced by the following:

First, Xi Jinping did not give any instructions, Li Qiang did not issue any directives, and neither did any other Standing Committee members.

Second, the Vice Premier did not go to the scene;

Third, no leaders from Sichuan Province were present at the scene;

Fourth, neither the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee nor the Aba Prefecture Party Committee nor the Ma’erkang Municipal Party Committee and government held a press conference to report on the accident.

Fifth, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Water Resources did not form an investigation team;

Sixth, there was no expert group composed of so-called national-level experts;

Seventh, only Aba Prefecture formed an investigation team, followed by the Sichuan Provincial Department of Transportation.

The situation is completely different from the collapse of the expressway bridge in Shangluo, Shaanxi on July 19, 2024 .

After the accident, the Party Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to it. General Secretary Xi Jinping gave important instructions[5], requiring all-out efforts to carry out rescue and relief, do everything possible to search for missing persons, minimize casualties, and properly handle the aftermath, such as comforting the families. Attention was to be paid to scientific rescue, careful investigation of surrounding safety hazards, and strict prevention of secondary disasters. He stressed that all regions and relevant departments should attach great importance to the accident, fulfill their responsibilities, strengthen monitoring and early warning, as well as patrols and hazard elimination, implement all measures in detail, and effectively protect the lives and property of the people.

Figure 6: Xi Jinping issues important instructions. Image source: as shown in the figure.

Premier Li Qiang issued instructions, demanding that every effort be made to search for and rescue the missing persons, to ascertain the cause as soon as possible, to properly handle the aftermath, and to promptly investigate and address any potential dangers to prevent secondary disasters. He also stressed the need to learn from this experience, further solidify the responsibilities of all parties, comprehensively investigate all types of risks and hidden dangers, and strengthen prevention measures against disasters and accidents.

Leaders including Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing, Liu Guozhong, Wang Xiaohong, Wu Zhenglong, and Chen Yiqin also issued instructions and put forward clear requirements.

In accordance with the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the requirements of Premier Li Qiang, Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing led relevant department officials to the scene to guide the rescue and disposal work, and demanded that the cause and responsibility for the bridge collapse be investigated as soon as possible and that social concerns be addressed in a timely manner. [6]

Figure 7: Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing led officials from relevant departments to the scene to guide the rescue and disposal work. (Image source: as shown in the figure).

On July 20, the Shangluo Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government of Shaanxi Province held a press conference in Zhashui County [7], where Zhao Jing, Secretary of the Shangluo Municipal Party Committee, introduced the situation.

Figure 8: A press conference held by the Shangluo Municipal Committee and Government of Shaanxi Province in Zhashui County on July 20. Image source: As shown in the figure .

The Ministry of Emergency Management led the establishment of an investigation and assessment team for the “7.19” highway bridge collapse disaster in Shangluo, Shaanxi Province, with participation from the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the China Meteorological Administration, the National Fire and Rescue Administration, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, and the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Government.

The Shaanxi Shangluo “7.19” highway bridge collapse disaster investigation and assessment team set up a comprehensive group, a technical group, and a management group. At the same time, an expert group had been set up, composed of academicians and authoritative experts in the fields of bridges, water conservancy, transportation, meteorology, geology and other fields to provide technical guidance and professional support.

On March 7, 2025, Xinhua News Agency reported that the investigation and assessment report on the bridge collapse disaster of the Shuiyang section of the Danning Expressway was released. [8]

Figure 9: The investigation and assessment report on the bridge collapse disaster on the Shuiyang section of the Danning Expressway has been released. Image source: As shown in the figure.

Thus, the handling of this particularly serious accident—the collapse of the expressway bridge in Shangluo, Shaanxi—had followed the procedures set by the CCP itself in a standard and orderly manner.

However, the procedures established by the CCP for handling the particularly serious accident that occurred on November 11, 2025, when the Hongqi Grand Bridge in Ma’erkang City, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province collapsed, have disappeared.

IV. Why did the collapse of the Hongqi Grand Bridge not attract the attention of the top leadership of the CCP?

Why did Xi Jinping not issue any instructions regarding the collapse of the Hongqi Grand Bridge? Why did
Li Qiang not issue any directives regarding the collapse of the Hongqi Grand Bridge? Why did other members of the Standing Committee not issue any directives regarding the collapse of the Hongqi Grand Bridge? Why did no vice premiers or state councilors rush to the scene? Why did no leaders of Sichuan Province rush to the scene? Why did no party committee or government of Sichuan Province, Aba Prefecture, or Ma’erkang City hold a press conference?

Was it because the collapse of the Hongqi Grand Bridge caused no casualties? Was it because the unit responsible for the surveying, design, construction, and management of the Hongqi Grand Bridge was China Power Construction Group Chengdu Survey and Design Institute Co., Ltd. — China’s most prestigious surveying and design institute? Was it because the Hongqi Grand Bridge was part of the resettlement project for the Shuangjiangkou Reservoir Dam and the reconstruction of National Highway 317? Was it because the Shuangjiangkou Reservoir Dam is the tallest dam in China? Was it because the Shuangjiangkou Reservoir Dam project is a major national project? Was it because China Power Construction Group, which built the Shuangjiangkou Reservoir Dam project, was also responsible for constructing a 1.2 trillion yuan hydropower station on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River?

I am completely baffled.

The only answer that comes to mind is this: In November 2025 , the top leadership of the CCP will be like the Manchu princes and Han officials who pledged allegiance to the imperial power before the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. Their minds will no longer be on the national economy and people’s livelihood, nor on the future of the country. Faced with fierce power struggles and immense downward economic pressure, they will only be thinking about how to maintain the Communist Party’s long-term and absolute control over China, preserve their power, and safeguard their families’ economic interests. They will have no interest in the particularly serious accident of the Hongqi Grand Bridge collapse, and they will have long forgotten their previous “golden quotes” on national security.

Notes

[1] Reporter Wang Xi: The Hongqi Bridge at Shuangjiangkou , Ma’erkang City , on National Highway 317 collapsed, with no casualties reported. Xinhua News Agency, November 11, 2025. http://www.news.cn/local/20251111/617a9b1986ea48b8b92b5dc750c01dde/c.html

[2] The roadbed and approach bridge collapsed near K381+030 on National Highway 317. This was reported on November 11, 2025, by Ma’erkang Online and published on the Yangtse Evening Post website: https://www.yzwb.net/news/sh/202511/t20251111_288186.html

[3] See: Collapse of Hongqi Grand Bridge at Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station in Malkang City, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province (20251111).

Tsai Shen-kun said, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OSmyxs3XvU.

[4] Regulations on Reporting and Handling Production Safety Accidents, adopted at the 172nd Executive Meeting of the State Council on March 28, 2007, and effective from June 1, 2007. https://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2007-04/19/content_588577.htm

[5] Xi Jinping issued important instructions on the collapse of a highway bridge in Zhashui County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province, demanding all-out efforts in rescue and relief and strengthening of patrols and hazard mitigation. To effectively safeguard the lives and property of the people, on July 20, 2024. Source: Xinhua News Agency, published on the website of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202407/content_6963663.htm

[6] When Zhang Guoqing rushed to Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province to guide the rescue and disposal work of the collapsed highway bridge on the Shuiyang section of the Danning Expressway, he emphasized that every effort should be made to speed up the search and rescue of missing persons and strengthen the inspection and elimination of safety hazards during the flood season. July 21, 2024. Source: Xinhua News Agency. Published on: Ministry of Justice of the People’s Republic of China website. https://www.moj.gov.cn/gwxw/ttxg/202407/t20240721_503143.html

[7] Chen Chen, Zheng Xin: Search and rescue operations continue in the Zhashui Expressway bridge collapse disaster in Shaanxi Province. July 21, 2024. Source: Xinhua News Agency. Published on: Website of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China. https://www.spp.gov.cn/tt/202407/t20240721_660843.shtml

[8] The investigation and assessment report on the bridge collapse disaster on the Shuiyang section of the Danning Expressway was released on March 27 , 2025. Source: Xinhua News Agency, published on the website of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202503/content_7015907.htm

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The original article was published on November 23, 2025.