A self driving enthusiast drove along the G30 Lianhuo Expressway through the Hexi Corridor. The flat asphalt road under the wheels extends westward, and the mobile navigation shows that Jiayuguan is ahead. He suddenly remembered a passage in historical books: more than two thousand years ago, Zhang Qian's delegation also traveled westward along this roughly similar corridor, using their feet and camel hooves to carve out the initial outline of the Silk Road.

Gene embedding of Qin Zhidao into modern highways

The Xianyang to Jiuyuan straight road built by Emperor Qin Shi Huang defined the ancient version of a highway with rammed earth and ridges - requiring direct access, a 50 step wide road, trenches and valleys, and supporting stations and beacon towers to form an integrated warning system for the road and beacon city. The G65 Baotou to Xi'an section of the Baomao Expressway overlaps with the Qinzhi Road in terms of functionality and corridor direction, making it a double track of ancient and modern times on the same national backbone line. The mandatory uniform wheelbase of six Qin feet for vehicles on the same track during the Qin Dynasty laid the institutional foundation for road standardization in China. The ultra-high efficiency of modern road networks stems from the ancient principle that only with this unified standard can they be interconnected.

The Tang Fan Ancient Road supports the Qinghai Tibet Highway

In 641 AD, Princess Wencheng departed from Chang'an and arrived in Lhasa via Xining and Yushu. The Tang Tibetan Ancient Road that she walked out of was the earliest national highway on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. Nowadays, the G0613 Xili Expressway and the front section of National Highway G214 have fully replicated the basic route of the Tang Fan Ancient Road, while the Yushu to Nagqu section of National Highway G345 covers the western route of the ancient Uyghur Mangyi Pass. The Tea Horse Ancient Road uses the width of horse hooves and the endurance of mules and horses as standards to find the minimum feasible path between the Hengduan Mountains. Nowadays, the Sichuan Tibet Highway is represented by G4218 Yaye Expressway, National Highways G317 and G318, and the Yunnan Tibet Highway is represented by G7611 Duxiang Expressway and National Highway G214. It basically continues the gene of selecting the optimal path of the ancient road and is an engineering upgrade of the trampling trajectory of the caravan in the past. Keywords: Inheritance News Network, Ancient Road, Modern Highway Network

Parallel excavation and protection of ancient roads with modern road networks

In recent years, significant progress has been made in the excavation of sites such as Qin Zhidao, Tea Horse Ancient Road, and Shu Road, but natural erosion and human destruction remain the main challenges. The transportation department is exploring a combination of preservation and use, and modern highway construction needs to prioritize the study of avoidance and protection plans. Discovered ancient roads can be revitalized in the new era through cultural, tourism, and health development, as well as digital display experiences. From the Silk Road to the the Belt and Road, from Qinchi Road to modern national highways, the evolution history of China's roads is a magnificent history of civilization development. The ancient roads and today's roads reflect each other in time and space. The ancient route selection and standard wisdom are still the shoulders of giants standing today.Editor/Gao Xue