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Thread: Chinese Bridges

  1. #1
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    Chinese Bridges

    Poor puppies. I can't imagine they're comfortable with this.

    Puppies 'occupy' glass suspension bridge (1/5)
    2014-12-04 11:08 Ecns.cn Web Editor:Gu Liping


    Visitors pose for a picture with puppies on the see-through glass floor of a suspension bridge in Shiniuzhai Scenic Spot, Pingjiang county, Central China’s Hunan province, Dec 3, 2014. The middle part of the 300-meter-long suspension bridge with a vertical height of 180 meters has see-through glass floor. [Photo: China News Service/Yang Huafeng)


    A puppie plays on the see-through glass floor of a suspension bridge in Shiniuzhai Scenic Spot, Pingjiang county, Central China’s Hunan province, Dec 3, 2014. The middle part of the 300-meter-long suspension bridge with a vertical height of 180 meters has see-through glass floor. [Photo: China News Service/Yang Huafeng]


    A security guard drives away puppies on the see-through glass floor of a suspension bridge in Shiniuzhai Scenic Spot, Pingjiang county, Central China’s Hunan province, Dec 3, 2014. The middle part of the 300-meter-long suspension bridge with a vertical height of 180 meters has see-through glass floor. [Photo: China News Service/Yang Huafeng]


    A security guard drives away puppies on the see-through glass floor of a suspension bridge in Shiniuzhai Scenic Spot, Pingjiang county, Central China’s Hunan province, Dec 3, 2014. The middle part of the 300-meter-long suspension bridge with a vertical height of 180 meters has see-through glass floor. [Photo: China News Service/Yang Huafeng]


    Puppies play on the see-through glass floor of a suspension bridge in Shiniuzhai Scenic Spot, Pingjiang county, Central China’s Hunan province, Dec 3, 2014. The middle part of the 300-meter-long suspension bridge with a vertical height of 180 meters has see-through glass floor. [Photo: China News Service/Yang Huafeng]

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    Cigarette bridge

    Images of Zhengzhou's 'cigarette bridge' go viral online



    The latest of China's questionably designed structures to make the rounds on Weibo is this bridge in Zhengzhou, Henan province, built with what appears to be several giant cigarettes.



    CCTV reports that the posts are actually street lights, but considering they bear more than a passing resemblance to oversized cancer sticks, netizens have joked that the bridge's designer must've been a local smoker.



    Let's hope that this was all an oversight (but how, oh how!?) and not actually inspired by the leading cause of cancer in China.
    I have this rather embarrassing photo of our previous editor straddling a giant cigarette-in-an-ashtray sculpture. She told me never to show it to anyone. It wasn't a promise, but I still haven't done so. I imagine I'm saving it for just the right occasion.
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    Actually, I do kind of understand this...

    ...but this has been the repository thread for weird Chinese bridges so I'm posting this here. Maybe some day, I'll move all the weird bridges to their own separate thread.

    A road runs through it: China’s first over-water highway almost complete
    Master Blaster 22 hours ago



    If you’re like me, you’re probably more accustomed to seeing bridges cross rivers rather than run along their length. But this stretch of highway which was recently completed in Xingshan County of China’s Hubei Province does just that. Are the bridge’s creators crazy, or crazy like an ecologically minded fox?

    The complete road runs about 10.5km (6.5mi) connecting Xingshan County with the Yiba Expressway.



    Of the full roadway about 4km (2.5mi) runs over a mountain stream. It’s said that this was done to protect the environment by avoiding cutting through the forest or mountain itself.



    The above-water stretch of highway cost about 2 million yuan (US$320,000) which was nearly half of the 4.4 million yuan ($700,000) it cost to build the entire thing.



    In addition to not disturbing the landscape of the mountain it also provides motorists with a gorgeous view as they pass through.



    Comments from Chinese readers about the road were mixed, with some celebrating this first-of-its-kind bridge as “an example of harmony between people and nature.” Many others questioned whether this plan was truly more environmentally sound than other methods – such as tunneling through the mountain – or simply cheaper.

    There were also those who questioned the safety of such a bridge, but we will have to see how it fares when it opens to the public sometime in early 2015.
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    More on glass bridges

    I decided to poach these bridge posts from our I-will-never-understand-China thread. Glass bridges are in now - there are several. And it's China so the following is inevitable.

    Newly-opened glass bridge on Yuntai Mountain shut for repairs after cracks found



    Yuntai Mountain's much-vaunted 2-week-old glass bridge in Henan province has been closed for repairs after cracks were discovered in one of the glass panels, causing a freak-out among tourists.


    The post by Sina Weibo user Li Donghai, which has since been removed.

    A man by the name of Li Donghai reports on Weibo that just before he reached the end of the bridge, he heard a loud thud, followed by vibrations which reverberated along the bridge. "As I looked below me, I realised that the glass panel had cracked," he wrote. "I'm not sure what caused the crack, but there were people screaming that very moment and I yelled, 'It's shattered! It's really shattered!" before pushing aside all the people in front of me to make my escape."

    Park officials have confirmed the cracks, adding that tourists were evacuated without incident and the bridge has been shut for repairs.

    One park official tells the Global Times that a tourist appears to have dropped her steel cup on the bridge, causing one of the glass panels to crack.

    The glass bridge, launched on September 20, is 260 metres long in its first phase of development. The cracks appeared on a 68-metre stretch of the bridge. Each square metre of the 2.7cm-thick glass pane is said to withstand a weight of more than 800kg. Two glass panes are used in the construction of the side railings and three panes for the floor of the bridge.

    It remains unclear if the entire bridge has been shut or just the affected section, or when it will reopen again to members of the public.

    Here's a drone's eye view of the 68-metre, U-shaped stretch of the bridge where the incident occurred.




    The good news for adventurous travellers is that you can still go to China's first high-altitude suspension bridge made of glass at Hunan's Shiniuzhai National Geological Park. It withstood very rigorous testing by Golden Week crowds last week.

    https://www.facebook.com/shanghaiist...3730921691030/
    Tianmen Mountain's newly-opened glass bridge also remains as yet uncracked.

    https://www.facebook.com/shanghaiist...3734351856030/

    Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
    By Kenneth Tan in News on Oct 7, 2015 11:33 AM
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    Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon glass bridge

    I've ridden Chinese rollercoasters but I would never trust a Chinese bungee jump.

    Calling all Avatar fans: World's longest, highest glass-bottom bridge will finally open in Zhangjiajie early next year


    As of today, the skywalk spanning the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon has officially been linked, and is set to open to the public in May 2016. So for those die-hard Avatar fans out there, soon you will be able to see the inspiration behind James Cameron's Pandora like you've never seen it before.


    At 430 meters long and 300 meters above the canyon floor, the Zhangjiajie bridge will be both the longest and highest of its kind in the world. Basically, it is not for the faint of heart, aka this guy.
    The skywalk was designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, who says the bridge will also serve as a runway for fashion shows


    To avoid any mishaps, like what occurred on the glass bridge in Hunan's Yuntai Mountain, the designers of this bridge claim it has undergone rigorous testing to ensure that it can withstand any wear and tear from both human and non-human factors. It was originally scheduled to open back in October, so maybe they spent some extra time making sure everything was safe.
    According to Chen Zhi Dong, Chairman of the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, it passed any and all tests "with flying colors." (Though, perhaps flying isn't the best choice of words here...)
    If merely traversing this vertigo-inducing bridge is not enough of a thrill for you, you can also bungee jump or zipline off of the bridge.
    As for us at the Shanghaiist, we prefer to take in the sights from the comfort of our office, thank you very much.


    How will China's first high-altitude suspension bridge respond?
    By Kevin Engle
    Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
    By Shanghaiist in News on Dec 3, 2015 7:30 PM
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    ttt 4 2016!

    Dramatic first look at world's highest, longest glass-bottom bridge
    By Elaine Yu, for CNN
    Updated 3:46 PM ET, Thu January 28, 2016


    World's longest glass-bottom bridge – Workers recently began installing glass on what will be the world's longest glass-bottom bridge. Due to open in May, it's 430 meters long, six meters wide and hovers over a 300-meter vertical drop in China's Hunan province.


    Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon – The bridge stretches over two dramatic cliffs in Hunan's Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.


    Not a job for acrophobics – Workers installing the bridge's glass demonstrate just how confident they are in their work by leaping into the air for a picture on January 27.


    Weight limits – Once complete, the bridge will be able to support a maximum of 800 people at a time.


    World's highest bungee jump – Construction workers walk along the bridge's skeletal framework. Not thrilling enough? The bridge will also reportedly feature the world's highest bungee jump.


    An Israeli design – Israeli architect Haim Dotan, who designed the Israel Pavilion for the Expo 2010 Shanghai, is behind Zhangjiajie's new glass-bottom bridge.
    Hide Caption


    World's highest catwalk? – Dotan said the bridge, digitally rendered here, will also serve as a runway for fashion shows. (The question, then, is where would the spectators sit?)


    Zhangjiajie National Forest Park – Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is China's first forest reserve. The area is home to striking sandstone and quartz cliffs.


    Bridge construction – No steel or concrete is being used to create the bridge's surface.

    Travelers will soon be able to walk across the world's longest and highest glass-bottom bridge, which spans two cliffs in China's Hunan province.

    This week, workers were photographed installing the bridge's first piece of glass.

    Set against dramatic landscapes in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the bridge is 430 meters long, six meters wide and hovers over a 300-meter vertical drop.

    Construction on the bridge was originally expected to be finished at the end of 2015.

    It's now set to open in May this year.

    World's highest catwalk?

    Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the glass-bottom bridge will also feature the world's highest bungee jump and serve as a runway for fashion shows.

    Hanging above Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, it will be able to hold up to 800 people at once.

    Digital renderings of the bridge highlight the architectural firm's vision -- to build a glass structure that fades into the clouds.

    Stunning as the view is, tourists will likely tread carefully.

    In October last year, cracks appeared in a mountainside glass walkway in Yuntaishan Scenic Park, in China's central Henan province, just two weeks after opening.

    The incident sent visitors running and screaming in panic, according to witnesses.

    Park officials said the damage was superficial and posed no threat to safety.
    Yea...no. No way.
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    Swinging bridge in Hubei

    What is it about China and sketchy bridges? A cultural thing, methinks. I've been on the one on Songshan. I should dig up a photo of that for this thread someday...

    LOOK: Local swinging bridge becomes tourist destination for Hubei thrill-seekers



    For those of you who are somehow tired of paying pricey entrance fees and pushing your way through neverending crowds to walk across one of China's numerous terrifying bridges built for tourists, you're in luck, Hubei has something a bit more traditional that you might be interested in.




    This 120-meter-long, 80-meter-tall bridge was built by the local government to connect two villages on two mountains separated by a river in rural Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, NetEase reports.




    Instead, of "unbreakable" glass, this bridge is made only of wooden planks and wire ropes, and swings and sways as you walk across.



    Who's going with us?
    [Images via NetEase]
    Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
    By Alex Linder in News on Mar 21, 2016 10:30 PM
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    Longjiang Grand Bridge

    A bridge too far: Amazing drone video shows China's £150million suspension bridge with an enormous 4,000 FOOT span

    The Longjiang Grand Bridge in Yunnan province, west China, is set to open
    Has cost a remarkable 1.5 billion yuan (£151 million) to bring to completion
    Offers drivers breathtaking views of the amazing natural scenery all around

    By GABRIEL SAMUELS FOR MAILONLINE
    PUBLISHED: 12:09 EST, 19 April 2016 | UPDATED: 12:44 EST, 19 April 2016

    One of the largest and longest suspension bridges in Asia is to finally open next week after five years of construction, cutting journey times for motorists.

    The remarkable bridge over Longjiang River, Yunnan province, south-west China, is over 8,000 feet long and 920 feet high, according to People's Daily Online.

    A jaw-dropping video posted online, taken by a drone, shows the bridge and surrounding mountains from a birds-eye-view for the very first time, as the camera swoops over the vast crossing.

    The Lonjiang Bridge will be one of the longest ever built


    Wow: The bridge over Longjiang River, Yunnan , south-west China, is over 8,000-feet-long and 920-feet-high


    Clouds: It will connect the cities of Baoshand and Tengchong, and is the tallest of its kind between mountains


    Beautiful: As an added perk, it offers drivers breathtaking views of the sublime natural scenery all around

    Costly plan: The project is thought to have cost around 1.5 billion yuan (£151 million) to bring to completion

    Longjiang Grand Bridge is due to open to traffic on May 1 after passing load testing in early April.

    It will connect the large cities of Baoshand and Tengchong, and is the tallest of its kind to be built between two mountains on the continent.

    As an added perk, it offers drivers breathtaking views of the sublime natural scenery all around.

    The project is thought to have cost around 1.5 billion yuan (£151 million) to bring to completion.

    The central span of the bridge, which is the distance between the two main towers, measures 3,924 feet and is only slightly shorter than that of the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

    The longest suspension bridge in the world is the Pearl Bridge in Japan with a length of 12,831 feet.


    Excitement: China's recent obsession with huge, complex bridge constructions continues to develop apace


    Huge: Construction has been going on on the bridge for over five years and will finally be unveiled on May 1

    Meanwhile the tallest suspension bridge is the Sidu River Bridge in eastern China, which sits at 1,627 feet above the valley below.

    China's recent obsession with huge, complex bridge constructions continues to develop apace.

    The longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge, completed in December last year is located in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan province and continues to amaze visitors.

    Meanwhile workers put finishing touches to Qingshui River Bridge in Guiyang on Christmas Day, making it another of the largest suspension bridges in the country.
    I couldn't embed the vid from the article but I found this other fresh one.

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    From last year, but still relevant here.

    Chinese yoga is odd.

    100 women did yoga on that vertigo-inducing glass bridge in China
    BY VICTORIA HO Singapore
    Nov 06, 2015

    A group of 100 fearless women got together for a photoshoot on a glass bridge in China, which spans 900 feet and hangs a vertical 600 feet over the bottom of a gorge between two mountains.

    The plexiglass bridge was just opened in late September this year in Shiniuzhai park in Pinjiang County, in China's Hunan province.


    IMAGE: CHINAFOTOPRESS VIA GETTY IMAGES

    Local reports have billed the yoga stunt as a gathering of yoga enthusiasts, but given the ladies' identical outfits and presence of news photographers, it's likely a publicity exercise for the park.

    See-through bridges and walkways have popped up in various locations in China in recent years, but Shiniuzhai may have felt its latest attraction needed a bit of a boost after another glass walkway in another province cracked while tourists were on it.


    IMAGE: CHINAFOTOPRESS VIA GETTY IMAGES


    IMAGE: CHINAFOTOPRESS VIA GETTY IMAGES


    IMAGE: CHINAFOTOPRESS VIA GETTY IMAGES


    IMAGE: CHINAFOTOPRESS VIA GETTY IMAGES


    IMAGE: CHINAFOTOPRESS VIA GETTY IMAGES


    IMAGE: CHINAFOTOPRESS VIA GETTY IMAGES
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    Well now, this bridge looks lovely...

    ...and you won't plunge to your death if it breaks.

    Is this the most scenic walkway you've seen? Stunning pictures show China's 'floating plank' built in the middle of a river

    Scenic route in Shiziguan, Hubei, was photographed on Saturday ahead of its official launch on Sunday
    The floating walkway in central China allows visitors to see a part of a valley that's only accessible by boat
    Tourists can follow the path up and downstream while immersing themselves in the sights around them

    By QIN XIE FOR MAILONLINE
    PUBLISHED: 03:33 EST, 2 May 2016 | UPDATED: 04:35 EST, 2 May 2016

    These incredible aerial images show a stunning scenic route in the depth of a valley in Hubei, central China, that was once only accessible via rowing boats.

    The wooden walkway in the Shiziguan scenic area, captured for the first time on Saturday, was unveiled to the public on Sunday during the country's Labour Day weekend.

    Measuring approximately 1,640 feet long (500 metres), it wraps around the mountains that surrounds it according to People's Daily Online.

    As the images show, tourists are able to walk up or downstream, following the course of the river.

    The walkway floats on the river, giving visitors the sensation that they're walking on water.

    All around them is the lush, green forests, creating a feeling of serenity.


    New for tourists: Scenic route (pictured) in Shiziguan, Hubei, was photographed on Saturday ahead of its official launch on Sunday


    Floating on water: The floating walkway in central China allows visitors to see a part of a valley that's only accessible by rowing boat


    Fully immersive: Tourists can follow the path up and downstream of the river while immersing themselves in the sights around them


    Picturesque: Many of the tourists were seen photograph the area as well as posing for pictures themselves. One is even seen lying on the ground to take photos


    Lush and green: All around the pathway is dense foliage from the untouched forests growing along the narrow valley (pictured)


    Still new: The aerial photographs of the walkway were taken before the site officially opened to the public but there are already visitors



    Sunny: Weather in China is already warming up and the visitors are keen to shield themselves from the sun by putting up umbrellas
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    Slightly OT

    platform = bridge to nowhere

    Would YOU dare to stand on it? Terrifying glass-bottomed viewing platform suspended over a 1,300-foot-deep valley opens in China

    The glass-bottomed viewing platform opened near Beijing, China, on Sunday. It's suspended over a huge valley
    It claims to be the world's largest glass-bottomed viewing platform protruding 107 feet over the edge of the cliff
    First visitors to the scenic spot looked terrified as they walked along the structure but others were happy to stop

    By QIN XIE FOR MAILONLINE

    PUBLISHED: 05:04 EST, 2 May 2016 | UPDATED: 05:04 EST, 2 May 2016

    A terrifying tourist spot that's just opened near Beijing, China, is set to challenge the inner daredevil in you.

    The glass-bottomed viewing platform is suspended over a 1,300-foot-deep valley at Jingdong Stone Forest Gorge scenic area according to People's Daily Online.

    It claims to be the world's biggest glass-bottomed viewing platform in the world by protruding more than 107 feet over the edge of the cliff face that it's set against.


    Terrifying: The glass-bottomed viewing platform opened near Beijing, China, on Sunday. It's suspended over a 1,300-foot-deep valley



    See through: Both the walkway and the barriers to the viewing platform is see through, allowing visitors to really see the view


    Posing: The first visitors to the site have had mixed reactions. Some, like the woman pictured, are happy to pose for photos. Others looked more terrified

    This is over 37 feet longer than the glass viewing platform at the Grand Canyon in the USA.

    The enormous structure is composed of a glass-bottomed walkway leading to a circular viewing platform.

    It opened to the public for the first time on Sunday and the first photographs from the site showed terrified tourists struggling to make their way across to the edge of the platform.

    According to reports, the new tourist attraction is claiming three different world records.

    The first is that it's the world's longest platform that protrudes over the edge of a cliff at 107 feet.

    It's also claiming to be the world's largest glass platform as its circular surface area measures 4,467 square foot.

    Finally, it's reportedly the first time that titanium used in the aviation industry has been used in the construction of a 'building'.

    A spokesman for the site told People's Daily: 'Using titanium for this project is our way of making sure that maximum efforts have been put in to ensure the safety of tourists.'

    The titanium material used is said to be light, durable and resistant to erosion.

    Jingdong Stone Forest Gorge scenic area is a popular tourist area just over 43 miles from Beijing and visitors flock to the site to see its enormous stone formations.


    Innovation: It's reportedly the first time that titanium used in the aviation industry has been used in the construction of a 'building'


    Strong: Spokesman for the project said that the titanium is to make sure 'maximum efforts have been put in to ensure the safety of tourists'


    Circular: The enormous structure is composed of a glass-bottomed walkway leading to a circular viewing platform (pictured)


    High above: Taken from the bottom of the mountain at Jingdong Stone Forest Gorge, the structure towers over the valley below it



    Mixed reactions: A terrified visitor is held along the walk way by another (left) as a family enjoys a peaceful moment over the valley below
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    Man had his pants scared off on a newly opened glass walkway over a cliff in SW China



    Published on May 9, 2016
    A 65 meters long and 100 meters tall glass walkway built alongside mountain rocks on a cliff was recently opened to the public in Wanshan national park in southwest China's Guizhou province.
    The tourist in the video got so frightened of the height of the walkway that he was captured crawling on the glass, crying, screaming and begging for help. With the assistance of the staff, the man was later carried off the walkway.
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    Sidu River Bridge

    I marvel at how successful this thread is with the news feeds.

    Now THAT'S a high-way! Spectacular aerial images show China's impressive mountain overpass built over a 1,630ft valley

    Chinese media has released stunning images of the Sidu River Bridge located in China's Hubei province
    Situated above a 1,627-foot-deep valley, the overpass is billed as the highest suspension bridge in the world
    The towering four-lane highway bridge also boasts an impressive span, which is nearly 3,000 feet long

    By SOPHIE WILLIAMS and TRACY YOU FOR MAILONLINE

    PUBLISHED: 11:24 EST, 17 May 2016 | UPDATED: 18:10 EST, 17 May 2016

    While Chinese engineers seem to have an obsession with glass-bottomed walkways, they are also experts in building high bridges - very high ones.

    Chinese media People's Daily Online have recently released a set of aerial pictures of the spectacular Sidu River Bridge, located in central China's Hubei Province, which is reportedly the highest completed suspension bridge in the world.

    The vertigo-inducing overpass, completed in 2009, is built between two mountains over a 1,627-foot-deep valley - though some media claim it's 1,830 feet high.


    An unbelievable sight! The suspension bridge is situated in the remote Yesanguan Town of Badong County in China


    A stunning but terrifying location: The overpass is built between two mountains over a 1,627-foot-deep valley


    Apart from its jaw-dropping height, the towering four-lane highway bridge also boasts an impressive span, which is nearly 3,000 feet long

    The suspension bridge is situated in the remote Yesanguan Town of Badong County, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, over Sidu River.

    An aerial footage, uploaded to Youtube in January, shows the sheer size of the bridge and its incredibly scenic background.

    The remarkable structure, which itself is some 300 feet tall, can be seen surrounded by rocky mountains; while the alarming vertical drop underneath would make any drivers feel daunted.

    The location of the traffic link is in fact so remote that the closest road is reportedly two miles away.

    Apart from its jaw-dropping height, the towering four-lane highway bridge also boasts an impressive span, which is nearly 3,000 feet long.

    Sidu River Bridge is a part of the Shanghai-Chengdu Expressway. Construction of the formidable project began in 2004 and took as long as five years to finish.

    According to different sources, when the Sidu River bridge opened to the public in 2009, it overtook the 1,300-foot-high Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge in Papua New Guinea to be the highest bridge in the world.

    The building of the bridge gathered much attention at the time as the Chinese workers delivered cables across the valley by launching rockets from one mountain to the other.

    According to highestbridges.com, eight of the top ten highest bridges in the world are built in China.


    One of the tallest! According to sources, when the bridge opened in 2009, it was thought to be the highest bridge in the world


    The building of the bridge gathered much attention at the time as the Chinese workers delivered cables across the valley


    The suspension bridge is situated in the remote Yesanguan Town of Badong County in central China. The nearest road is two miles away

    THE WORLD'S TOP 10 HIGHEST BRIDGES (IN FEET)
    1. Beipanjiang Bridge Duge, China 1,854 feet (2016)

    2. Jinshajiang Bridge, China, 1,680 feet (2021)

    3. Sidu River Bridge, China, 1,627 feet (2009)

    4. Puli Bridge, China, 1,591 feet (2015)

    5. Yachi Bridge, China, 1,444 feet (2016)

    6. Qingshuihe Bridge, China, 1,332 feet (2016)

    7. Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge, Papua New Guinea, 1,542 feet (2005)

    8. Baluarte Bridge, Mexico, 1,280 feet (2013)

    9. Balinghe Bridge, China, 1,214 feet (2009)

    10. Beipanjiang Bridge Guanxing, China, 1,200 feet (2003)

    Source: Highest bridges
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    Feel safe now? not.

    WATCH: Journalist takes sledgehammer to world's longest and highest glass bridge to prove it's safe



    How to make visitors feel safe on the world's longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge? By letting someone try to smash the glass floor with a sledgehammer of course!
    The construction company that just finished China's newest and most-hyped glass-bottomed bridge across the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon tasked BBC journalist Dan Simmons with administering this unconventional safety test last week.



    The bridge spans 430 meters (1410 ft) across the canyon, holding 800 people some 300 meters (985 ft) above the ground. It has also broken a total of 10 world records for bridges, Xinhua reports.
    The construction of the glass bridge deviated from conventional methods. It does not contain a wind cable suspension and is the only bridge in the world to use magnetic, water and electric vibration damping for stabilization. Also, it has the world's highest bungee jumping platform and the steepest zip line. Gee ****!



    But how to make sure that tourists will be brave enough to visit this modern marvel? After all, an incident last year in which a tourist on a glass-bottomed bridge in Yuntai mountain happened to drop her cup and crack a glass panel still has everyone a bit spooked.



    Well, that's where Dan Simmons comes in. The president of the construction company challenged the intrepid journalist to shatter his brand-new bridge.



    The two of them stood on an elevated glass panel on the glass-bottomed bridge and Simmons took his first swing with the sledgehammer, causing the top layer of glass to crack immediately. However, after a dozen strikes, the other layers of glass remained intact.
    Watch the video below:

    While we applaud Zhangjiajie's promotional efforts, they really couldn't get Peter Gabriel for this stunt?



    And if they are so confident, why not use the glass panels that have already been installed on the bridge?
    Anyway, this must surely mean that the bridge is likely to open in the next month or so. It was originally scheduled to open last October, but was subject to a number of delays. If you are now convinced you won't suddenly fall to your doom if someone drops a cup, make a trip to Hunan next month. Maybe.
    By Sarah Lin
    [Images via hunan.gov / Xinhua// Video via BBC]
    I couldn't cut&paste the BBC vid, but I managed the random Peter Gabriel vid.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  15. #15
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    Glass bridge in Zhangjiajie, China

    Don't look down - or perhaps do, if you dare...China opens world's highest, longest glass bridge



    By Our Foreign Staff
    20 AUGUST 2016 • 11:01AM

    China has opened the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge – the latest in a series of vertigo-inducing structures which are attracting tourists from all over the world.


    The bridge has 99 glass panels CREDIT: XINHUA/BARCROFT

    The 1,410ft (430 metre) bridge, which opened on Saturday, and spans across the Zhangjiajie Canyon, in Hunan province, allows visitors to peer down into the abyss through 99 triple-layered glass panels.


    It crosses a canyon that is 1,000ft deep CREDIT: XINHUA/BARCROFT

    Designed by the Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the bridge leaves pedestrians suspended nearly 1,000ft (300 metres) above the canyon.

    Although only open to foot-traffic, the bridge, at 20ft (6 metres) wide, is broad and strong enough to take car, a feat designers proved last month when driving a Volvo XC-90 SUV across it in order to demonstrate that the bridge was safe.

    In another publicity stunt, the superior strength of the glass panels was further demonstrated by workmen pounding on them with sledgehammers.


    8,000 tourists will be able to walk the bridge per day... CREDIT: XINHUA/BARCROFT/XINHUA/BARCROFT

    Glass bridges and mountain walkways have become a craze in China at the moment, with social media filled with pictures of tourists posing for 'selfie' pictures as they brave the experience.


    And of course, selfies are obligatory... CREDIT: XINHUA/BARCROFT

    The latest bridge connects two mountain cliffs in what have become known as the "Avatar mountains" after the ground-breaking sci-fi 3D film that was filmed there.

    A maximum of 8,000 visitors a day will be allowed on the bridge, with park officials advising would-be guests to book to avoid disappointment.
    The Avatar mountains? srsly?
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

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