This figure makes Yunnan's highway system the longest among all the provinces and autonomous regions in the Chinese mainland.

To date, all the province's 1,570 townships and 13,189 of its 13,449 villages have been linked by highways.

Highways play a key role in the local traffic and transportation industry. However, by the end of 1997, Yunnan's highways in operation were only 73,821 kilometers.

To keep up with rapid economic development, the province increased its investment in highway construction, pouring 49.4 billion yuan (5.95 billion US dollars) into the construction of more than 90,000 kilometers of highways in the past five years. Highway investment in 2002 alone topped 11 billion yuan (1.33 billion US dollars).

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2003)