The gate was lifted, and a cargo ship sailed into the lock chamber. The water level slowly dropped, and the hull sank along with it; The downstream gate has reopened and it has turned south, heading straight towards the Beibu Gulf along the Qinjiang River. Recently, the media interview team for the theme event of the 2026 Western Land Sea New Corridor Guangxi Tour witnessed the entire process at the Madao Hub. This mountain valley was formerly known as Matou. In the early years, salt merchants had no way out here. Now, it is connected by mountains and rivers, and the Xijiang and Qinjiang rivers hold hands here. The idea of Qinzhou going abroad, which was part of the founding strategy a hundred years ago, has finally come true. In the past, it was difficult to reach the sea near Guangxi, and goods had to go east along the Xijiang River around Guangdong and change ships when they arrived at the port; Nowadays, river boats can directly dock at Qinzhou Port and there is no need to change loading in the river and sea.

The opening and closing of the gate reveal the truth

The Century Project Pinglu Canal and the Ma Dao Hub Ship Lock have achieved three world records in one fell swoop: the world's largest and highest water level drop inland water saving ship lock, and the fastest valve opening and closing speed inland water saving ship lock, which was jointly created by the giant working valves of the Ma Dao Hub and the Qi Shi Hub. The three tiered hubs are like water elevators, while the digital canal and ecological fishway provide synchronized protection. These records will eventually fall into operation. Qin Suizhi, Senior Business Manager of the Science and Technology Information Department of Pinglu Canal Group, introduced that since its opening, the Ma Dao Hub Ship Lock has operated more than 200 locks and passed more than 600 ships, operating smoothly, safely, and efficiently; The three major ship locks operate stably, with few waiting locks, high navigation efficiency, and fast freight turnover.

The source of goods gradually balances in both directions

To run the canal, there must be cargo in the ship first. Guangxi insists on synchronously promoting the docking of goods sources and the reserve of transportation capacity. It has signed contracts for canal route ships and adapted inland river ships to meet the transportation needs in the early stage of navigation. Before the navigation, the Development and Reform Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region organized shipping companies, logistics enterprises, and cargo owners to hold Pinglu Canal cargo source docking meetings in the hinterland of Baise, Guigang, Liuzhou, Chongzuo, Nanning, Yunnan, Chongqing and other cargo sources. Logistics solutions and high-quality river sea intermodal routes were released to promote the signing and implementation of a batch of cargo transportation contracts before the navigation. Huang Jiantao, Deputy General Manager of Pinglu Canal Group's Outward Supply Chain Company, said that from navigation to now, the organization of cargo sources has been stable. From the beginning, the volume of upstream cargo transportation was greater than that of downstream cargo, to now, the volume of upstream and downstream cargo transportation has basically reached a balance, which cannot be separated from the strong support of relevant departments. Most of the upstream materials are imported, while the downstream materials are mainly local sand and gravel aggregates.

The shipowner turned around and headed south

Whether the channel is good or not, the shipowner is the best at calculating. Shipowners have seen practical results and are naturally willing to come, which has also achieved some benefits. More and more shipowners are gradually transferring their ships that originally traveled on the Xijiang River to the Pinglu Canal. Nanning Port has transformed from a passing dock to a seaport, while Qinzhou Port has been upgraded to a gateway port for river sea intermodal transportation. Next, while stabilizing the supply of goods in the hinterland of Guangxi, the Pinglu Canal will gradually increase its flow of goods from Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing. Multiple world records, stable operation of the three major ship locks, balanced up and down cargo volume, and ship owners turning south... After more than a month of navigation, the Pinglu Canal has not only submitted operational data, but also the beginning of a century long project from completion to utilization and from channel to efficiency. Between the opening and closing of the ship lock, a new chapter of river sea linkage in the western land sea new channel is slowly unfolding.Editor/Yang Meiling