China Has Opened A 140m-High 'Bending' Glass Bridge

A seemingly bending bridge has opened up in China and it's not for the faint-hearted. Check out the footage below:

The Ruyi bridge, located in the Zhejiang Province, was unveiled back in 2017 but didn't open until last year.

When initial plans for the bridge were shared, some thought it couldn't be made as the design seemed far-fetched - and even looking at it now, it somehow still seems a bit unrealistic.

However, the 140m-high bridge is already proving to be a top tourist attraction, welcoming more than 200,000 visitors since it opened.

The team behind the bridge said: "Intertwined into an undulating bridge body, visitors have a sense of experience when they pass.

PA

PA

"The rigid and soft shape is perfectly integrated with the natural scenery of the Fairy House, just like a jade ruyi in the sky, and like a fairy draped silk."

The bridge is designed to look like a jade ruyi - an object that is a symbol of good luck in China - and comprises three bridges with a partially glass deck that you couldn't pay me to walk over.

Local tour guide Li Shuangying said: "The vertical height of Ruyi Bridge is about 140 metres (460 feet).

"Tourists usually come to Ruyi Bridge after going to the South Flyover. Ruyi Bridge will be higher than the South Flyover, and there is a 12-metre-long (40 feet) glass platform at the bottom of Ruyi Bridge, on which visitors can take pictures from above."

If terrifying bridges are your kind of thing, then China is the place to be, as it's also home to the record-breaking full-glass bridge in the Huangchuan Three Gorges Scenic Area in Lianzhou.

The bridge measures a whopping 526.14 metres (1,726 feet) and gets a huge 'nope' from me.

The glass bridge, which is built over the Lianjiang River, is able to hold 500 tourists at once, on four observation decks at the middle of the bridge.

According to Chinese state media, the walkway is made from three layers of laminated glass which are 4.5cm (1.77in) thick. The glass is said to be 99.15 percent transparent, giving a view of the floor of the valley below.

It will be used for normal foot traffic, as well as for bungee jumping, zip lines and even as a catwalk for fashion events.

Topics: Interesting, Weird, China

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19