China's first glass suspension bridge offers daredevil tourists exciting new experience
by Tom Anstey | 02 Oct 2015
The first glass suspension bridge in China has opened above a canyon in Hunan's Shiniuzhai National Geological Park, offering bold tourists a chance to cross a 180m (590ft) deep chasm between two cliffs.
Dubbed Haohan Qiao – Brave Men's Bridge – the 300m (984ft) long bridge was originally designed to be wooden before developers opted for a transparent glass floor 24mm thick, but 25 times stronger than usual. The glass bridge also incorporates a steel frame, ensuring safety even if the glass did break.
The bridge is the first of several planned by architects and urban designers, Haim Dotan, to give access without intruding on exquisite local landscapes.
Plans for an even grander glass bridge are now underway, with the Israeli architecture firm’s 380m (1,246ft) long Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge – the world’s highest and longest glass bridge – also coming to China. It has been designed to be as “invisible as possible” and is set to open later this year.
Architects Haim Dotan used glass which is 24mm thick but 25 times stronger than usual Credit: Haim Dotan
The bridge is the first of its type in China, but more are in the pipeline Credit: Haim Dotan Haim Dotan
A 180-metre-deep chasm sits below the glass suspension bridge Credit: Haim Dotan
Plans for an even grander glass bridge are currently underway, with Israeli architecture firm Haim Dotan’s 380-metre-long Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge Credit: Haim Dotan
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The first glass suspension bridge in China has opened above a canyon in Hunan's Shiniuzhai National Geological Park, offering bold tourists a chance to cross a 180m (590ft) deep chasm between two cliffs. Dubbed Haohan Qiao – Brave Men's Bridge – the 300m (984ft) long bridge was originally designed to be wooden before developers opted for a transparent glass floor 24mm thick, but 25 times stronger than usual. The glass
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