Tourists who suffer from vertigo need not apply. The
world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge
opened Saturday in China's spectacular Zhangjiajie
mountains -- the inspiration for American blockbuster
Avatar.
Some 430 metres (1,400 feet) long and suspended
300 metres above the earth, the bridge spans the
canyon between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie park
in China's central Hunan province.
Six metres wide and made of some 99 panels of clear
glass, the bridge can carry up to 800 people at the
same time, an official in Zhangjiajie -- a popular tourist
destination -- told the Xinhua news agency.
Tourists can walk across the bridge, designed by Israeli
architect Haim Dotan, and the more adventurous will be
able to bungee jump or ride a zip line.
"I wanted to feel awe-inspired by this bridge. But I'm
not afraid -- it seems safe!" Wang Min, who was
visiting the new structure with her husband and
children, told AFP Saturday.
Following an alarming glass bridge cracking incident at
the Yuntai mountain in northern Henan in 2015,
authorities in Zhangjiajie were eager to demonstrate the
safety of the structure.
They organised a string of media events, including one
where people were encouraged to try and smash the
bridge's glass panels with a sledge hammer, and another
where they drove a car across it.
"It's crowded today and a bit of a mess. But to be
suspended 300 metres in the air, it's a unique
experience," said Lin Chenglu, who had come to see the
bridge with his colleagues.
Only 8,000 people each day will be allowed to cross
the bridge, Xinhua said, and tourists will have to book
their tickets a day in advance, at a cost of 138 yuan
($20).
Cameras and selfie sticks are banned, and people
wearing stilettos will not be allowed to walk on the
bridge, Xinhua said.
Local authorities have said that one of the summits in
Zhangjiajie Park inspired the floating mountain which
appears in the American blockbuster Avatar.
A Hollywood photographer visited the area in 2008,
taking images which were used for the film, according to
media reports.