Chalk up another superlative achievement for China.
Zhangjiajie, a scenic national park in the country’s Hunan province, is set to open the world’s longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge in July.
Spanning two cliffs in the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon area, it will stretch 430 meters (1,410 feet) long and 6 meters (20 feet) wide, hovering over a 300-meter (984-foot) vertical drop.
In comparison, the Grand Canyon Skywalk in the United States is 21 meters (69 feet) in length and stands 219 meters (718 feet) above the canyon floor. Canada’s Glacier Skywalk in Alberta, which opened last year, extends 35 meters (115 feet) from the cliff and is a little bit shy of 300 meters in height.
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The footbridge was designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, who is also behind Expo 2010 Shanghai’s Israel Pavilion. Dotan says the bridge will serve as a runway for fashion shows and be able to hold up to 800 people at once.
The Grand Canyon of Zhangjiajie skywalk will also offer the world’s highest bungee jump, stealing the title from Macau Tower’s 233-meter (764-foot)-high attraction.
Zhangjiajie is a 56 square-kilometer designated tourist park inside the bigger Wulingyuan Scenic Area. It’s been open to the public since 2009 and is said to have been the inspiration behind the beautiful planet of Pandora in James Cameron’s 2009 “Avatar” film.
