A luxury view: Take a walk over a glass bridge!
This unbelievable footbridge was opened in wonderful surroundings where the film Avatar was also shot. You will find it in a nature reserve near the city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan province. It boasts not only a luxurious view and superb adrenaline-fuelled experience, but also several world records. Which are these?
The construction is unique in several ways: it is 430 metres long and located at a height of almost 300 metres above the ground! It is made up of 99 rectangles of three-layer glass and it cost roughly 90 million crowns to build. It is thus the longest and highest glass bridge in the world. But watch out – it is for pedestrians only. It should be able to hold up to 800 people at any one time. The bridge was designed by the architect Haim Dotan, who adds the following with regards to his concept: “As the designer of a bridge which is located in an incredible and magical national park, I believe in nature, harmony, balance and beauty. Nature is beautiful just the way it is. This is why I didn’t want to interfere with it too much, and this is why the glass bridge in Zhangjiajie has been designed in such a way as to be as invisible as possible. Like a white bridge disappearing into the clouds.”
Inspiration for filmmakers
The bridge is located in amazingly beautiful natural surroundings. From the luxury bridge, you can feast your eyes on sandstone pillars, of which there are more than 3,000,000 to see in the national park. It was precisely these surroundings which provided inspiration for the famous James Cameron while preparing the scenery for the no-less-famous film Avatar. Some scenes were filmed right here. The bridge amazes all of the visitors who come here. According to the experts it is safe, but the Chinese authorities will only allow 8,000 visitors onto it per day.
China also holds other records
A great many curiosities and places of interest are to be found in this country. Apart from the glass bridge, you can also walk around a horseshoe-shaped glass lookout point sticking out from the rocks at a height of 716 metres in Chongqin in Longgang National Park, or along a glass walkway near the Chinese city of Zhangjiajie which leads along a rock wall 1,400 metres high.
