Destruction experiment

破坏性实验 (pò huài xìng shí yàn): destruction experiment

On December 5, 2011, a steal beam of a viaduct under construction collapsed injuring a number of workers. At a press conference after the accident, Jiang Hao, project leader of the Hefei Key Project and Management Board, stated that the incident was part of a routine pre-arranged “destruction experiment”: "We still have to construct the frame and pour concrete below. In order to ensure the quality and safety of the concrete, we have to test first, collecting relevant technical parameters. Without the experiment, it will be very confusing."

Two workers who were reinforcing bolts on the bridge at the time of the accident said that they were unaware of the “experiment.”

For more information, see here (English) and here (Chinese).