The Suspension Glass bridge at Shiniuzhai National Geological Park, China is one of the first glass bridges open to the public in the year 2015. The bridge is called Haohan Qiao and when translated to English it says Brave Men’s Bridge.
It is reportedly one of the first fully transparent glass bridges in the world with glass flooring. The bridge is suspended 180 m above the valley floor and connects two cliffs and is at a distance of 300m in length. The bridge is around 540m above sea level.
Originally it was a wooden bridge but they revamped it and converted it into a glass bridge. The bridge’s body is made up of 2 main steel wires and 6 base steel wires with wooden planks as a base. The glass panes designed to this bridge are 24mm thick which is 25 times stronger than the original glass panes.
The bridge despite its minimalistic look, is strong and is designed to withstand heavy winds, earthquakes and can withstand the weight of around 800 individuals. A worker who helped in the construction of the bridge had said: “The Bridge we build will stand firm even if tourists are jumping on it.”
The origin of the world Brave Men Bridge was passed down via word of mouth where anyone who can cross the bridge is a truly brave man. The Shiniuzhai National Geological Park announced that they would take necessary steps to avoid any hamper that the bridge costs to human lives and also take protection against wear and tear. Also, they announced that one needs to cross the bridge with dedicated footwear available as normal footwear can leave smudge marks that were faced by Grand Canyon Skywalk and Chicago Skydeck.
Apart from experiencing the thrill walking over the Glass Bridge, one can also climb the steep cliffs located here, the cliffs are connected with a ropeway and fret not, as there are supplies that the government has constructed here to supply necessities to the cliff climbers. The convenience store opened here is at a height of 100m above ground and is opened to cliff climbers on 28th April 2018. Built especially to provide water and other supplies during their tough hike of the cliff, this acts as a bane to adventurous climbers.
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One can easily visit the bridge as it is located in Hunan province which is well connected by road, rail and airways. The nearest airport to this region is Changsha Huanghua International Airport, nearest railway station include Changsha South Railway Station and from here you can take a bus ride to the national park from Changsha East Bus Station.
