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Glass bridges in China and around the world (video). glass bridge in china

On September 20, 2015, an amazing glass bridge was opened in Zhangjiajie Park in the Chinese province of Hunan. Well, how to say opened, the bridge was there for a long time. But, approximately, as in the case of the Capilano Bridge in Canada, the old wooden and already dilapidated bridge was replaced with a modern glass structure.

Glass bridge on the map

  • geographic coordinates 29.046775, 110.481499 (although I'm not sure if the data is correct)
  • distance from the capital of China Beijing about 1330 km
  • the distance to the nearest airport Henua Zhangjiajie city is about 15 km

The new bridge (as well as the old one) connects the two peaks of Stone Mountain Buddha and is located above the Pingyang Valley. Now the bridge serves not only to cross the mountains, but is also a local landmark. And now the functions of the attraction are probably more important than the rest.

Glass bridge in numbers

  • length 300 meters
  • height 180 meters
  • glass thickness 24 mm

The entire floor of the bridge is made of glass, the strength of which is 25 times higher than normal. The glass is two-layer and 24 mm thick, which makes walking over the abyss absolutely safe.

But the human instinct for self-preservation protests, and the vast majority of visitors with great difficulty force themselves to walk across the bridge. It is extremely scary to walk practically through the air, and even at such a height. The transparency of the glass creates the illusion of airiness and fragility.

Having overcome fears and fear of heights, you find yourself in an amazing place. Firstly, of course, these are beautiful views of the surroundings, secondly, hundreds of meters of emptiness under your feet, and thirdly, unforgettable photographs for memory. The feeling of walking on air here will probably even surpass the feeling of being on the famous Five Fingers site in Austria.

No wonder the glass bridge is also called the "hero's bridge". It takes a lot of courage to step on it. And to walk all 300 of its meters is generally heroic heroism.

Trembling in the knees and tingling in the fingertips is normal. Almost all extreme sportsmen who visited the glass bridge, and even overcame it, experienced similar feelings. True, some, not very heroic heroes, conquer the bridge on all fours.

If you still want to cross the bridge, but your brain stubbornly dissuades you, then specially trained people will come to your aid, ready to help you cross the bridge, and if necessary, they can provide moral and psychological support.

Streams of tourists reached out to this man-made attraction for incredible photos and adrenaline.

In order to prevent herds of travelers from trampling the glass panels of the bridge, they are given shoe covers. And rightly so, because not every cleaner will agree to wipe the glass on this bridge. Due to the incredible popularity of the glass bridge, the park administration has limited the number of visitors to 10,000 people per day. Up to 100 people can be on the bridge at the same time.

There is a known case when visitors to the bridge were seriously scared. On October 7, 2015, one of the tourists dropped a metal thermos on the glass floor of the bridge, and the glass cracked. The people around suffered a lot of fears, but no one was hurt. Everything ended well.

glass bridge photo


In the south of China, another eerie glass bridge has opened over a cliff, along which only the most daring and courageous tourists pass along the cliff to the mountainside indented with caves.

The Wriggling Dragon Bridge, which leads to Mount Tianmen, opened to the public on August 1. The length of the glass path is 100 meters, the width is just over one and a half meters. Before the views of tourists opens a truly dizzying view of the valley on the other side of the mountain range. The bridge hangs at a height of 1500 meters above the ground. This is the third such bridge on the same mountain. More recently, it was an ordinary wooden path.


This mountainous area is very popular among tourists due to its incredible natural scenery, as well as a relatively new attraction - glass bridges.


The pictures show how the first visitors of the opened bridge carefully walk along the mountain, holding on to the wall, some try not to look down through the transparent floor and over the railing.


The first glass bridge in the mountains of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park opened in November 2011 and has been attracting tourists ever since to experience what it's like to walk along the very edge of the abyss. The glass floor was then only 2.5 inches (6 cm) thick, and visitors were visibly nervous when they stepped on it.


The second glass bridge across the canyon in the national park opened in May this year. Its construction was reported to have cost approximately $3.5 million.


For those who want sensations sharper, here you can jump into the abyss with a bungee.


Now glass bridges are a popular trend in China. Usually local authorities perceive them as an opportunity to increase the influx of tourists. These ambitious projects are usually bridges, cliff paths or lookouts.




Below are the five most popular glass bottom designs in China.


The observation deck with a glass floor is located on the territory of the famous Shilin stone forest, 70 kilometers from Beijing. Its height is 400 meters above the ground, and its area is 415 square meters. It opened in May 2016.


A glass bridge 300 meters above the Zhangjiajie Canyon in Hunan province was due to open in July 2016. Its length is 430 meters, height is about 300 meters.


"Hero's Bridge" runs 180 meters above the ground and is located in the Shinyuzhai National Park in Hunan Province. It opened last fall.


The Yongtai Mountain Trail is 260 meters long and passes over 1,000 meters above the ground. It also opened in September 2015.


Yunduan glass observation deck is located at an altitude of more than 700 meters above the ground. It opened in the summer of 2015.

Here is a short video about how tourists manage to walk on such bridges. Spoiler alert: they are a little anxious.

Fans of extreme sports and unusual types of entertainment should take a walk along the glass bridge in China. Made entirely of glass, it gives the impression of hovering over the abyss - just look at your feet. There are similar structures in other countries of the world, but it is the Chinese bridge that is the longest. The glass bridge is located 180 meters above the Pinyang Valley and connects two mountain peaks.

However, for China, the glass bridge is not new. They have previously built a glass bridge that circles Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

THERE ARE TWO GLASS BRIDGES? LET'S DISCOVER!
Glass Bridge on Tianmen Mountain built on the territory of China's Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, which is located in Hunan Province. The length of the bridge is about 70 meters and it is located at an altitude of 1900 meters. The bridge wraps around Tianmen Mountain and exits to Zhangjiajie Mountain, which provides an amazing view of the beauty of the natural park.

Glass Bridge on Tianmen Mountain

Glass Bridge over the Pingyan Valley located at an altitude of 180 meters. Its length is about 300 meters, and it connects two mountain peaks. The sides and floor are made of extra-strong three-layer glass, which is 25 times stronger than ordinary glass. Such a bridge will withstand any load - no matter how hard the tourists jump, the engineers assure. Its design is resistant to temperature extremes of 60 degrees Celsius and wind speeds up to 220 km/h. However, even knowing about the reliability of the bridge, tourists who set foot on it are often afraid to look down. After all, an abyss opens up under your feet and it feels like you are walking on air. That is why the attraction was nicknamed the “air path”. The staff working near the bridge helps to overcome this path, of course, laughing at the unlucky tourists who are stuck right in the middle of the bridge in a fit of panic :) Are you weak?

Glass bridge over the Pingyan Valley.

ZHANGJIAJIE NATIONAL FOREST PARK

It will be easy for independent travelers to find this park on world maps:

What else to see in Zhangjiajie National Park?
Of course, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is not only famous for its glass bridge. This is one of the most beautiful parks in China, which has been under the protection of UNESCO since the late 90s. The local nature not only captivated thousands of tourists from all over the world, but also became a source of inspiration for the award-winning director James Cameron. He specially came here to admire the stone pillars, which eventually became the prototype of the floating mountains in the acclaimed film Avatar.

In addition to stone pillars and a glass path, Zhangjiajie Park has many attractions that deserve attention:

1. Mountains. They are especially beautiful in the morning when they are covered with a thick layer of fog.

2. Stairway to Huanshi Mountain 3800 steps high, leading to the air path.

3. Elevator "Hundred Dragons". The highest lift in the world, lifting tourists 330 meters above the ground. Its transparent walls and ceiling provide a view of all local attractions.

4. The cable car to Mount Tianji, stretching for 7445 m, is the highest and longest in the world.

5. "Sky Highway" 11 km of dangerous mountain serpentine with more than 100 sharp turns.

6. A network of caves, including the four-level Yellow Lion Cave at an altitude of over 1000 m.

WORKING SCHEDULE AND PRICES
You can walk along the glass bridge on Tianmen Mountain daily from 7:00 to 18:00 - at this time the last funicular leaves for the bridge. But you can enter Zhangjiajie Park itself later, if you wish, you can even stay on the territory of the national park for the night, settling in one of the hotels located there.

Entrance fee to the park depends on the age and social status of the visitor:
1. An adult pass for 3 days costs 248 yuan, including insurance - 3 yuan.
2. For students under 24 and children under 1.2m tall, a three-day subscription will cost 163 yuan. Youth must show a student ID to receive a discount. If it does not indicate the date of birth, you should additionally present a passport.
3. Special benefits are provided to disabled people of groups I and II, war veterans and the military, as well as pensioners over 70 years old. The cost of a three-day subscription for these categories of visitors is 68 yuan.
The ticket price includes: entrance to the park and travel through the territory on regular buses. Elevator, funiculars, trams, excursions to the caves are paid separately.
In addition, at the entrance to the park it is recommended to buy a map, without which it will be difficult to navigate a large area. Its cost is 5 yuan.

According to our readers (Andrew): 300m bridge over Pingyan Valley not located in the park, this is a separate mountain Tianji and a ticket to this mountain is bought separately and costs another 270 yuan.

Glass Bridge on Tianmen Mountain

HOW TO GET TO
BY PLANE
Near the Zhangjiajie Nature Park, there are two small towns - Zhangjiajie And Wulingyuan. You can get to them by plane from any major city: Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, but it's cheaper and faster to fly from Shanghai.

BY TRAIN
From any smaller city in central China, it is cheaper to travel by train. True, you will have to go through several connections.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT
In addition, the town of Zhangjiajie can be reached by bus from Changsha and Fnghuang, located relatively close.
When you reach Zhangjiajie or Wulingyuan, you should take a bus to the park. It departs from the bus station and travels about 1 hour. The ticket price is about 12 yuan. The bus will arrive at the bus station, from which you will need to walk a few minutes to the entrance to the national park.

TAXI
A more comfortable and faster way is a taxi, which will cost 100-200 yuan, but will deliver you exactly to your destination. The only negative is that Chinese taxi drivers do not speak English, which can make it difficult to explain where to go. It is better to have a booklet with the name of the park with you or show it on the screen of your smartphone in order to avoid misunderstandings with the driver. And be sure to check that the taxi driver turns on the meter, otherwise a dishonest driver will try to deceive you.

Before you travel, you can check the price of tickets from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie (Dayong Airport) on Skyscanner.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE GLASS BRIDGE
1. Few cleaners are willing to clean glass after every tourist. Therefore, in order to keep it clean and transparent, visitors are asked to wear special shoe covers made of fabric when entering the bridge.

2. A strong nervous system is required to walk the aerial path. There are times when tourists faint from fear. Therefore, another name for the bridge is the "path of horror."

3. Specially trained employees are on duty at the entrance to the glass bridge, who help especially impressionable visitors to cross to the other side. Often people panic, not seeing the floor under their feet, and in this case, moral support comes in handy.

The mountains of the Wulinshan Range and the town of Zhangjiajie lost in them have existed since time immemorial. But only recently, walks in places with surreal landscapes among these mountains have become especially popular with tourists.

In contact with

This was facilitated by the fantastic shots of the soaring peaks depicting the planet Pandora in the film by J. Cameron "Avatar", filmed in these places. Curious sightseers poured into the Chinese province of Hunan, where on an area of ​​​​almost 500 square meters. kilometers, stretched Zhangjiajie National Park. But, since the road to the reserve was not easy, the excitement gradually subsided. For the time being.

Grand Canyon Bridge, Zhangjiajie Park, Hunan Province

The second wave of tourist flow began in August 2016. It was then that an extreme attraction was opened on the territory of the forest - a glass bridge over the gorge, hovering at a dizzying height above the ground and called the Grand Canyon.

Parameters of the Grand Canyon Bridge

Today it is. The parameters of the building are impressive:

  • height above the ground - 300 meters;
  • the width of the pedestrian part of the bridge is 6 meters;
  • crossing length - 430 meters;
  • design capacity - 8000 people per day;
  • bearing capacity - simultaneously up to 800 people;
  • construction material: 120 panels of 3-layer heavy-duty glass;
  • additional attraction: the highest jumping platform in the world, located under the central span of the bridge at a height of almost 270 meters above the ground.

Bridge designer

The author of the project is Israeli architect Chaim Dotan, whose creations are well known in China. Being an adherent of the concept of merging architectural objects with nature, he came up with such a unique bridge, which, according to him, is intended to become not just a “jumper to go from point A to point B”, but a natural stage with the illusion of floating in the clouds. In the future, it is planned not only to arrange dance shows on the crossing parade ground, but also to open an amphitheater for 3,000 seats at its final point for holding various kinds of spectacles.

Bridge safety

The fragility of the structure is, of course, illusory. The bridge went through rigorous testing for structural integrity, thermal endurance and wind resistance. Eyewitnesses say that in order to check the structure for safety, they not only carried out a crash test with it, but also let a heavy car drive over the glass. The building did not flinch. And now neither raging hurricanes, nor heavy precipitation, nor even perky dances from several hundred stomping heels will destroy the glass bridge in. The photo shows its strength.

But everyone can get their share of adrenaline from the bridge. The crystal path with a transparent bottom attracts daredevils from all over the world to walk over the abyss in the mountains. Having experienced pleasure hovering over the abyss, tourists rush to other corners of the park, fraught with crossings through forests, cable car rides and descent in a glass elevator from the mountain.

Wriggling Dragon Trail, Zhangjiajie Park, Hunan Province

And, if the extreme on the glass over the abyss is not enough, then the Zhangjiajie Nature Reserve will offer crystal lovers another interesting transition. This time, over a cliff. By the way, it also opened to the public only in August 2016.

Walking along the undulating corridor, tightly adjoining the Tianmen rock and repeating all its curves, you can get an unforgettable experience. For some, they will seem like happiness at the edge of the clouds, and for others, fatal minutes of walking along the edge of the abyss. But no one will remain indifferent.

Bridge Specifications

The technical characteristics of this miracle are much more modest than those of the Grand Canyon. Although both glass bridges are in the same park, they are the exact opposite of each other. So, the “Wriggling Dragon” has a width of 1.6 meters, a glass thickness of 6.5 cm, and the length of the transition is only about 100 meters. In the absence of a flow of people, you can even run half-bent these meters, if not for one "but". The fact is that the "Dragon" soars at an altitude of 1430 meters above the ground.

Feelings over the bottomless abyss

When entering the bridge even the most courageous get goosebumps and dizziness from the bottomless abyss when looking down. There's no time for running! Somehow to reach without incident, tenaciously holding on to the handrails. Those who are not afraid and walk across the bridge, this is not at all a long distance with their eyes wide open, will be able to capture in their lenses frames of indescribable beauty, where peaks and gorges alternate with a mysterious haze, and the stone slopes of the cliffs smoothly turn into green caps of peaks.

To ensure the safety of the passage, all tourists are given special anti-slip shoe covers, which also serve as covers for dirty street shoes. Such a measure helps to save the glass pavement transparent and clean for a long time.

Heroes Bridge, Shinyuzhai Park, Hunan Province

The tour of the glass bridges of China will continue with another masterpiece of fragile architecture - the Heroes Bridge, located in the Shinyuzhai National Geological Park in the same province of Hunan, 46 km from the city of Pingyang and 112 km northeast from the provincial capital - the city of Changsha.

This is an earlier example of bridge architecture. It was opened to the public in 2015. Old-timers say that this passage through the valley, connecting the two peaks of the mountain, existed before, but only in a wooden version. And because the nerves of pedestrians are not particularly tickled. But after the reconstruction, when he was dressed in a crystal outfit, the suspension bridge became the No. 1 attraction in the park. Still would! The parameters are a bit tricky:

  • length - 300 meters;
  • width - 1.5 meters;
  • glass thickness - 24 mm;
  • height above the ground - 180 meters;
  • withstands temperature fluctuations up to 60 ° C and wind speeds up to 230 km per hour.

Many wanted to test their courage and feel “by touch” the height of the 58-storey building. Only now the house is not with reinforced concrete floors, but with glass floors from top to bottom! The bridge of brave people - there is no other way to say it!

U-shaped bridge at Yongtai Mountain, Henan Province

This is another adrenaline trail that is very popular with tourists. Located in Henan province. This is the same province that is famous for its grottoes near the city of Luoyang. But don't confuse it with Hunan, which is home to the other three bridges described above.

The U-shaped crossing that follows the contours of Yuntai Mountain in the Yuntaishan Range is a thrill ride. It received its first visitors in September 2015. But less than a month had passed since the opening, as the bridge showed its capricious character. While it was filled to capacity with people, a steel flask belonging to one of the tourists fell on the glass surface. Floor under foot of pedestrians cracked instantly. Fortunately, only the first layer of super-strong three-layer glass burst. Everything went well, but you can imagine what horror seized the people, because they were at an altitude of almost 1100 meters.

Since then, others and this glass bridge over the abyss have not been allowed with metal objects, and they have been asked to take off their high-heeled shoes.