THE CHINA CONNECTION & KKH

The Karakoram Highway also called Zhongba Gonglu is the roadway that connects Kashgar in Western Xinjiang Uyghur Region, CHina with Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The road took almost 20 years to complete and extends through some of the most rugged and inaccessible areas of Asia, running through the Hindu Kush, Kunlun Mountains and Karakoram Range. The highway was a joint Pakistani and Chinese project and its execution faced multiple natural dangers; from mudslides, rockfalls and other avalanches were a constant danger. Even after it was completed, it required heavy maintenance but it has a notable positive economic impact on locals. The Karakoram Highway is also known as the friendship highway in China. It is also often called the 8th wonder of the world due to the difficult conditions it was constructed in and traces pathways of the ancient Silk Road.