The First Road to the Southern Frontier

The First Road to the Southern Frontier

The First Road to the Southern Frontier

The "First Road to the Southern Frontier"

Stretching 179.2 kilometers in total and connecting with Vietnam’s National Highway 1, it is Guangxi’s first asphalt-paved expressway. The entire route traverses the low hills, mountains, and karst regions of China’s southwestern border, showcasing beautiful subtropical scenery and typical southern Chinese geographical features.

Friendship Pass is an important overland gateway to Vietnam and a national Class I port. Established as a pass during the Han Dynasty, it has a history of over 2,000 years. It has witnessed famous battles such as the Victory at Zhennanguan and the Zhennanguan Uprising, and became a symbol of the complete liberation of Guangxi. In January 1965, it was renamed Friendship Pass with the approval of the State Council. The name was inscribed by Marshal Chen Yi himself.

The Ningming Huashan Rock Paintings are a cultural heritage of the Zhuang ethnic group, with a history of over 2,000 years.

Before the Nanyou Expressway was opened, the road from Nanning to Pingxiang was a third- or fourth-grade road—winding and rugged—with travel times of around five hours. This greatly affected the investment environment of cities and counties along the route, hindered economic development, and impeded political, economic, cultural, and tourism exchanges between China and Vietnam as well as other ASEAN countries. It also prevented Guangxi from fully leveraging its strategic location as a gateway to ASEAN.

The First Road to the Southern Frontier

Its completion and opening have improved the investment environment of cities and counties along the route, enhanced the layout of Guangxi’s expressway network, and more importantly, laid the foundation for accelerating the construction of an international transport corridor between China and ASEAN.

The construction of The First Road to the Southern Frontier

Drawing on the rich historical and cultural heritage of The First Road to the Southern Frontier and looking toward the future while focusing on the present, the Southwest Expressway Administration is committed to enhancing the image and brand value of the southwest expressways. Guided by brand strategy planning and focused on expanding the application of brand signage, they aim to build an ecological, cultural, safe, and harmonious expressway system—taking the brand of The First Road to the Southern Frontier to new heights.