East Taihang Glasswalk

The East Taihang Glasswalk is a skywalk bridge located in East Taihang Mountains, Hebei Province, China. Opened in October 2017 it is built 1,180 metres (3,870 ft) above sea level, stretches 226 metres (741 ft) long, and is roughly 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) wide.[1]

East Taihang Glasswalk
Coordinates29.05321°N 110.48027°E / 29.05321; 110.48027
Characteristics
Total length226 metres (741 ft)
Width2 metres (6 ft 7 in)
Height1,180 metres (3,870 ft)
History
OpeningOctober 2017 (2017-10)
ClosedOctober 30, 2019 (2019-10-30)
Location

The bridge was the subject of some controversy for a special effect that made it appear as if the glass was cracking beneath the feet of those trying to cross it.[2] Infrared sensors would determine when a pedestrian was walking across the bridge, at which point light decorations and sound effects would produce the illusion of glass cracking.[3] The administration of East Taihang officially apologized for the illusion shortly after the bridge's opening, saying that the effect was designed to be "provocative".[4]

The East Taihang Glasswalk was part of a larger design scheme in China to create "invisible" glass-bottomed footbridges. Other notable skywalks of this variety include the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge and the Yuntain Mountain Walkway.[5] After a series of deaths and injuries on glass bridges in Hebei, the province elected to close all 32 of its glass-bottomed skywalks, including the East Taihang Glasswalk, on October 30, 2019, while it examined their safety protocols.[6]

See also

References
  1. "New glass skywalk opens in China". Euronews. October 31, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. Manning, Allee (October 10, 2017). "High-Tech Prank Makes Tourists Fear Falling to Their Deaths". Inverse. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  3. Ng, Charmaine (October 12, 2017). "Glass bridge in China frightening tourists with fake cracking visual and sound effects". The Straits Times. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  4. Ho, Victoria (October 9, 2017). "Someone thought it was funny to make a glass bridge look like it was cracking under people's weight". Mashable. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  5. Kim, Soo (October 11, 2017). "The glass-bottomed walkway in China that cracks under your feet". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  6. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (October 30, 2019). "Chinese province closes all glass bridges over safety fears". The Guardian. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
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