China National Highway 318

China National Highway 318 (G318), officially the Shanghai–Nyalam Highway (), is an east–west national highway in China. The route extends approximately from People's Square in Shanghai to the Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge at Zhangmu Port in Nyalam County, Tibet Autonomous Region, on the China–Nepal border. At the border, it connects across the Friendship Bridge with Nepal's Araniko Highway, designated National Highway 34 (NH34), which continues towards Kathmandu.

G318 crosses the provincial-level divisions of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan and the Tibet Autonomous Region. The 2022 National Highway Network Plan lists its principal control points as Shanghai, Qingpu, Wujiang, Huzhou, Xuancheng, Wuhan, Yichang, Chongqing, Chengdu, Ya'an, Kangding, Markam, Nyingchi, Lhasa, Shigatse, Tingri and Nyalam, terminating at Zhangmu Port.

The highway includes much of the southern route of the Sichuan–Tibet Highway between Sichuan and Lhasa. West of Lhasa, the route through Shigatse and Zhangmu forms part of the road connection between China and Nepal that is commonly called the Friendship Highway. The Lhasa–Zhangmu section is also part of Asian Highway 42 (AH42), which continues through Nepal and India.

At , G318 is one of China's longest national highways. It was formerly frequently described as the country's longest, but the expanded G219, which extends for approximately , is now longer.

Route G318 begins at People's Square in central Shanghai and runs west through the municipality towards Qingpu District. In Shanghai the road is also known as the Huqingping Highway (). It then crosses Wujiang District of Suzhou, Jiangsu, before entering Zhejiang near Huzhou.

From Zhejiang, G318 continues west across Anhui through Xuancheng, Chizhou and Anqing, and then enters Hubei. It passes through the Wuhan metropolitan area before continuing through Jingzhou, Yichang and the mountainous western part of Hubei towards Lichuan.

The highway then crosses the municipality of Chongqing, including Wanzhou and Liangping, before entering Sichuan. Its Sichuan route runs through the eastern part of the province to Nanchong, Suining and Chengdu, and then west through Ya'an, Luding, Kangding, Yajiang, Litang and Batang.

Sichuan–Tibet section West of Ya'an, G318 follows much of the southern route of the Sichuan–Tibet Highway. Construction of the original Kangding–Tibet road began at Ya'an in 1950, and the road reached Lhasa in 1954. The route later became known as the Sichuan–Tibet Highway; the southern route was subsequently incorporated into G318.

The Sichuan–Tibet section crosses the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau through a succession of high mountain ranges and deeply incised river valleys. The national government continues to classify improvement of G318's Sichuan–Tibet corridor as a strategic transport priority; the 2022 National Highway Network Plan specifically calls for upgrading the G318 Sichuan–Tibet Highway.

Numerous sections have been realigned or bypassed by tunnels and bridges to avoid high mountain passes and landslide-prone slopes. The former route through the Tongmai area in eastern Tibet, once particularly vulnerable to landslides and debris flows, has for example been replaced by improved roads, tunnels and the Tongmai Bridge.

Tibet and Nepal connection G318 enters the Tibet Autonomous Region at Markam, continuing through Zogang, Baxoi, Bomê, Nyingchi, Gongbo'gyamda, Maizhokunggar and Lhasa. From Lhasa it runs southwest through Qüxü, Nyêmo and Shigatse, then through Lhatse, Tingri and Nyalam County.

Between Lhasa and Zhangmu, G318 forms part of Asian Highway 42. The internationally designated AH42 route continues from Lhasa through Zhangmu, Kodari, Kathmandu, Narayanghat and Birgunj before entering India.

The final section descends from Nyalam through the steep Himalayan valley to Zhangmu. The Zhangmu–Friendship Bridge section was reconstructed following the 2015 Nepal earthquake and reopened on 17 May 2019. The present Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge opened later that month and forms the western terminus of G318.

At the bridge, G318 connects with Nepal's Araniko Highway (NH34). The bridge also carries the Zhangmu–Kodari international border crossing. Customs, immigration and the detailed history of the border port are covered at Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge § Border port.

Tourism G318 has become a prominent long-distance driving and cycling route, particularly on its Sichuan–Tibet section. Chinese tourism authorities and local governments promote the highway for the diversity of landscapes along its route, which extends from the lowlands of eastern China through the Sichuan Basin and the mountains of western Sichuan to the Tibetan Plateau.

The route has frequently been promoted in China as the "scenic avenue of the Chinese people" (). Its tourism profile is particularly associated with the Chengdu–Lhasa section, which crosses high passes, river gorges, forests, grasslands and alpine landscapes. Tourism development along G318 has also led local governments to establish road-themed visitor facilities and long-distance self-driving tourism programmes.

Route and distance The following table retains selected cumulative mileage points traditionally published for the Shanghai–Zhangmu route. G318 has undergone numerous local realignments and reconstruction projects, so these historical cumulative figures do not necessarily correspond to the engineering chainage of every present-day road section.

+ Selected cumulative mileage points on G318 Place Provincial-level division Distance from Shanghai (km) Huangpu, Shanghai Shanghai 0 Qingpu, Shanghai Shanghai 38 Huzhou, Zhejiang Zhejiang 158 Changxing, Zhejiang Zhejiang 185 Guangde, Anhui Anhui 240 Xuanzhou, Anhui Anhui 308 Nanling, Anhui Anhui 356 Qingyang, Anhui Anhui 423 Guichi, Anhui Anhui 466 Anqing, Anhui Anhui 534 Huaining, Anhui Anhui 571 Yuexi, Anhui Anhui 651 Yingshan, Hubei Hubei 761 Luotian, Hubei Hubei 801 Xinzhou, Hubei Hubei 874 Huangpi, Hubei Hubei 926 Wuhan, Hubei Hubei 979 Xiantao, Hubei Hubei 1090 Qianjiang, Hubei Hubei 1146 Jingzhou, Hubei Hubei 1218 Zhijiang, Hubei Hubei 1265 Xiaoting, Hubei Hubei 1306 Yichang, Hubei Hubei 1330 Lichuan, Hubei Hubei 1721 Wanzhou, Chongqing Chongqing 1871 Liangping, Chongqing Chongqing 1953 Dazhu, Sichuan Sichuan 2051 Qu County, Sichuan Sichuan 2095 Nanchong, Sichuan Sichuan 2198 Pengxi, Sichuan Sichuan 2251 Suining, Sichuan Sichuan 2369 Chengdu, Sichuan Sichuan 2526 Shuangliu, Sichuan Sichuan 2540 Xinjin, Sichuan Sichuan 2562 Qionglai, Sichuan Sichuan 2599 Mingshan, Sichuan Sichuan 2654 Ya'an, Sichuan Sichuan 2674 Tianquan, Sichuan Sichuan 2711 Luding, Sichuan Sichuan 2837 Kangding, Sichuan Sichuan 2886 Yajiang, Sichuan Sichuan 3037 Litang, Sichuan Sichuan 3174 Batang, Sichuan Sichuan 3345 Markam, Tibet Autonomous Region Tibet 3450 Zogang, Tibet Tibet 3608 Baxoi, Tibet Tibet 3809 Bomê, Tibet Tibet 4026 Nyingchi, Tibet Tibet 4240 Gongbo'gyamda, Tibet Tibet 4386 Maizhokunggar, Tibet Tibet 4592 Dagzê, Tibet Tibet 4639 Lhasa, Tibet Tibet 4670 Doilungdêqên, Tibet Tibet 4682 Qüxü, Tibet Tibet 4731 Nyêmo, Tibet Tibet 4807 Shigatse, Tibet Tibet 4966 Lhatse, Tibet Tibet 5123 Tingri, Tibet Tibet 5214 Nyalam, Tibet Tibet 5431 Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge, Zhangmu, Tibet Tibet 5476

China National Highway 318

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