Once known as one of China’s most impoverished provinces, the mountainous region of Guizhou has over the past decade become famous for a different reason: it is home to some of the world’s tallest bridges.

From the 565-metre-high Duge Beipan river bridge that links Guizhou and neighbouring province Yunnan to the 332-metre-high Pingtang bridge that spans the Caodu river canyon, Guizhou’s investment in infrastructure has helped lift the province out of poverty, earning it special praise from President Xi Jinping.

But the high ground has come with a high cost. Guizhou’s debt totalled Rmb1.2tn ($165.7bn) at the end of 2022. With a debt-to-gross domestic product ratio of 62 per cent, it is one of the most indebted provinces in the country. Including off-balance-sheet debt, the figure could be as high as 137 per cent, according to one estimate.