Why San Francisco's
Bay Bridge is the 'Pride of China'
Does China have
reason to be proud that the state of California, rather than building in
America, contracted the 24 giant steel modules of the rebuilt San Francisco-Oakland Bay
Bridge to China? According to this article from China's state-run Beijing
Youth Daily, the branding of one of America's great bridges with the words
'Made in China' proves not only that China is capable of rigorously high
standards, but that China's people can aspire to safer roads and bridges at
home.
In
other countries, people often find the words "Made in China" on cheap
toys, inexpensive T-shirts, and simple electronics parts. But recently, a famous
American landmark and one of the world's longest bridges, the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, was branded with the "Made in China"
stamp. The $7.2 billion Bay Bridge reconstruction is one of the most expensive
projects in California history. Once finished, the bridge will be reborn as
one of the world's great landmarks. But it will be the new eastern span of the bridge
that will be especially noticeable, as that is the part "Made in
China."
[On June 25, The
New York Times published an article
on the project outlining China's contribution to the project: "Next month,
the last four of more than two dozen giant steel modules - each with a roadbed
segment about half the size of a football field - will be loaded onto a huge
ship and transported 6,500 miles to Oakland. There, they will be assembled to
fit into the eastern span of the new Bay Bridge. The assembly work in
California, and the pouring of the concrete road surface, will be done by
Americans. But construction of the bridge decks and the materials that went
into them are a Made in China affair. California officials say the state saved
hundreds of millions of dollars by turning to China.]
Although
the "Made in China" brand has long been renowned, the impression was
often of low quality, low-tech, and a lack of high-level production capacity. But
now, not only is this famed American landmark and one of the world's longest
bridge spans "Made in China," it has also become the "pride of
China." And why shouldn’t it be?
It should be said that this is a bridge that Americans
are truly impressed by. California Department of Transportation program manager Tony Anziano
commented, "They've produced a pretty impressive bridge for us." The reason
for such an evaluation is that in February 2010, China was able to comply with
a new project inspection standard of "between 1mm and 2mm for the
misalignment of a joint" [slightly thicker than a nickel]. This being much
higher than the American Welding Society D1.5 bridge welding code, the
Americans were impressed.
Under Construction in the East Bay: Americans might sense an
echo of their own past in the face of China's skyrocketing ambition.
To
look at this from a wider perspective, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is
now the true "pride of China" for the following two reasons: First, because
of its high standard of quality, which is the only way "Made in
China" could have ever become the "pride of China." This is a
bridge that makes people feel at ease; that can sustain a level 8 earthquake;
and meet design requirements necessitated by a 150 to 200-year-long bridge lifespan.
Although bridges designed with a reasonable degree of earthquake
resistance and lifespan are often seen in today's China, many roads and bridges
are not so reassuring. One often sees news reports about guardrails blown over
by the wind that have been to be reinstalled before traffic can be restored. With the regular appearance
of "broken" and "crooked" bridges, people aren't always
convinced of the quality of roads and bridges "Made in China."
But
beyond being the "pride of China," what the San Francisco Bay Bridge project
demonstrates is that if corruption and back-door dealing are eradicated and the
standards of inspection, regulation and quality control reinforced, we in China
are capable of the same high-quality construction obtained at the San Francisco
Bay Bridge. Chinese people should not have to leave home to experience the "pride
of China."
Second,
the only way the "Made in China" label could ever have raised the bar
was to break its "dependence" on competing with low-quality. For
example, during the 2010 World Cup, almost everything we saw on television,
including vuvuzelas, seats,
uniforms and balls, were "Made in China." But a vuvuzela sold in
Africa for ten or more U.S. dollars was sold for only few cents when it was exported.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project broke from this, and for the first
time, as foreign media put it, the "Made in China" label has made a
major foray into the world's largest steel market.
More importantly, it has left a mark on the U.S. market.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
With
its "Made in China" label, China is now recognized as the "world's
factory," and its enormous productivity and vitality of spirit has established
the foundation for great progress on China's path of reform and opening up. Given
the urgency of China's economic development, economic restructuring and
industrial progress, the low level of quality associated with the "Made in
China" label must give way and become a mark of ruggedness that truly
impresses people abroad with China's manufacturing prowess. That is what the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project has done.
