Driving the winding and hairpinned 24-Zig Road in China

Located near Qinglong town in Guizhou Province, 24-Zig Road is a curvy mountain road with 24 hairpin turns. The road was built by the Chinese during WWII to transport supplies to help resist the Japanese invasion. It’s one of the most famous hairpinned roads in the world.

24-Zig Road

How long is 24-Zig Road in China?

This short mountain road is 4km (2.48 miles) long. It was built in the shape of an “S” on a 60-degree slope and named after the 24 bends ascending from the valley bottom to the Qinglong town. It’s 5 meters wide.

When was 24-Zig Road in China built?

The winding mountain road was finished in 1935 and witnessed more than 2000 trucks fully loaded with military supplies passing by daily in World War II. It was so notorious that during the war, drivers often prayed for their safety before embarking on it. History tells us that the road was so dangerous that many trucks overturned on it. Contrary to popular belief, this stretch is not part of the Burma Road, Ledo Road, or Stilwell Road but part of the road that connected Kunming (the end of the Burma Road) to Chongqing (the capital of China during WW-II).

Is 24-Zig Road in China unpaved?

Located in the southwest of Guizhou province, the road is totally unpaved. It’s also known as 24-zig and 24 Zigzags. At present, the road is no longer in active use but is still used as a shortcut by motorbikes and three-wheelers. In 2006, this stretch of road became a national monument.

How steep is 24-Zig Road in China?

The road climbs 264 meters from 1,296 meters at bend one to 1,560 meters at bend twenty-four (866 feet climb from 4,252 feet at bend one to 5,118 feet at bend twenty-four). The average gradient is around 8%, and the distance between bend one and bend twenty-four is about 3.5 km (2.2 miles). Opposite the road, on a mountain, there is a platform for sightseeing.
Pic: http://discover.china.org.cn/tag/mountain-road/