00:54 - Source: CNN
China's record-breaking glass bridge closes
CNN  — 

China just added a bunch of new claims to its planet-beating achievements – this time its the world’s sweatiest palms, the trembliest knees and the most-flipped stomachs.

Oh yes – and the world’s highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge.

Thousands of visitors have been steeling themselves to walk across the newly opened structure that spans the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in Hunan Province.

The six-meter wide bridge stretches 430 meters over a 300-meter-deep valley between two cliffs in the beautiful Zhangjiajie Park, said to have inspired the scenery for the sci-fi movie “Avatar.”

Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
On August 20, China opened the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge in Zhangjiajie in China's Hunan Province. It has closed 13 days later, due to "overwhelming demand."
Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
Don't look ... OK, do look down. The 430-meter-long bridge overlooks a stomach-churning 300-meter drop.
Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
The bridge's builders say its toughened glass panels can support hundreds of people at a time -- up to 8,000 visitors a day. They've staged safety demonstrations inviting people to try to smash the glass.
Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
At the time of opening, high heel stiletto-style shoes were said to be banned on the structure, in order to protect the glass.
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Selfie sticks were also said to be banned from the bridge.
Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
The bridge spans two cliffs in Zhangjiajie Park, which is said to be the inspiration for the landscape in the sci-fi movie "Avatar."
Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
The bridge was designed by Israeli architectural firm Haim Dotan.
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
A Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon spokesperson estimated that visitor demand has been about ten times as much as the bridge's 8,000-per-day capacity.
Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
"We're overwhelmed by the volume of visitors," the spokesperson told CNN.
Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
Zhangjiajie is already a popular destination with visitors thanks to its dramatic landscape of peaks and valleys.

Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the glass-bottomed bridge will also feature the world’s highest bungee jump and serve as a runway for fashion shows.

Visitors have been reportedly lining up for hours to cross the bridge, but although it can take 800 people at a time, access is being restricted to a maximum 8,000 a day.

Authorities have been working hard to stress the bridge’s safety credentials, inviting journalists to try to smash their way through its thickened glass.

In another demonstration, a car was driven over the structure.

courtesy penda
Inspiration for the bridge also came from a double helix and the area's mountainous terrain. When viewed from the side the three arches look like mountains -- 'San Shan' translates to three mountains in English.
courtesy penda
A collaborative project between Penda and engineering firm Arup, the bridge features multiple arches and was partly inspired by the famous five-ringed symbol of the Olympic Games.
courtesy penda
This curvaceous structure -- a concept bridge by architectural firm Penda -- was designed to connect Beijing's north to the 2022 Winter Olympic games venues in the neighboring Zhangjiakou district.
courtesy penda
"It's a very slim structure, a very transparent structure, so from a formal aspect it connects very well to the background but it also stands out in order to create an icon for the Olympic games," says one of the lead architects, Chris Precht.
Courtesy Arup
There are already over 30 bridges across London's River Thames, but this new project may be the most ambitious yet: designer Thomas Heatherwick's plant-covered Garden Bridge comes with a $275 million price tag.

According to Wired, Heatherwick was inspired by the scene in "Titanic" when Leonardo DiCaprio took Kate Winslet to the bow of the ship and yelled "I'm the king of the world!" Small balconies along the length of the bridge will allow couples looking to reenact the scene.

Construction is set to commence this year, with completion slated for late 2018.
Zaha Hadid Architects
At just over 3,000 ft, the Danjiang Bridge -- one of the last commissions awarded to the late Zaha Hadid -- will be the world's longest single-tower, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, according to the firm.

The subtle design is meant to have visual impact without obscuring the Taipei sunset.
Courtesy NEXT architects
NEXT Architects' Lucky Knot Bridge is set to open later this year. The name and shape refer to the Chinese art of decorative knotting, which is associated with good luck.
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In a rare twist, the Sölvesborg Bridge -- Europe's longest pedestrian bridge at 2,480 feet -- was specially enhanced by a lighting design firm rather than an architect. Ljusarkitektur mounted the structure with color-change LED lights.
Courtesy Urban Redevelopment Authority
When it opened in 2010, Singapore's Helix Bridge was the first to incorporate the shape of a double-helix. The structure is meant to symbolize life, renewal and growth, and sits near Moshe Safdie's $5.7 billion Marina Bay Sands casino.
Courtesy COBE, DISSING+WEITLING and COWI
There's more than meets the eye with this structure. The bridge, designed collaboratively by COBE Architects Dissing + Weitling and COWI, includes passageways for both trains and cars, as well as a full station and park-and-ride facilities. It's set to open in 2018.
Courtesy Rafael Viñoly Architects
Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly's circular bridge can only be truly appreciated from above. The circular bridge, which replaced a raft crossing, creates the effect of a lagoon within a lagoon.
Courtesy BCQ arquitectura barcelona
BCQ Arquitectura Barcelona's plant-covered bridge takes Heatherwick's green concept one step further. Their proposed upgrades to the existing Sarajevo Bridge include photoluminescent stones to light the pathway without electricity and concrete that converts pollution into harmless substances.

As of now, there is no set completion date.
Courtesy Studio Olafur Eliasson
Artist Olafur Eliasson was inspired by the city's history as a port town when he designed Cirkelbroen. The five round platforms and wired masts give the illusion of boats floating on the harbor.
ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images
When it opens in May 2016, Haim Dotan's Zhangjiajie Canyon Bridge will be the largest glass-bottomed bridge in the world. Aside from supporting visitors, the bridge, which is 69 feet long and 718 feet high, will be also be used for bungee jumps and fashion shows.
Courtesy Bystrup
Danish firm Bystrup recently won the commission to build a bridge in South London's Pimlico neighborhood.

However, the pedestrians-only curving structure is not without controversy. Critics worry the new bridge, which is not yet under construction, will destroy Pimlico Gardens, one of few public green spaces in the area.
Haim Dotan Architects
The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge is currently scheduled for completion in January 2017.
Haim Dotan Architects
The glass-bottom bridge stretches across two hills and is 300 meters above ground.

Scary incident

There’s a reason folks might be wary.

In an incident in October last year, cracks appeared in a mountainside glass walkway in Yuntaishan Scenic Park, in China’s central Henan province, just two weeks after opening.

Visitors were sent running and screaming in panic, according to witnesses, although park officials said the damage was superficial and did not pose any danger.

The Zhangjiajie bridge is one of many new glass-bottomed tourist attractions that have been drawing crowds in China and around the world.

Also in Zhangjiajie, a 100-meter-long glass skywalk, stretching around a cliff on the park’s Tianmen Mountain, opened in August.

For more scary-but-awesome viewing platforms check out the gallery below.

courtesy skydeck willis tower
Visitors who step into one of the Ledge boxes at the Willis Tower in Chicago can see for 50 miles across four states. A protective coating on the glass cracked on Wednesday, May 28, but officials say visitors were never in danger. Click through this gallery to see more daring viewing platforms around the world:
courtesy derdachstein.at
Visitors to the Dachstein Stairway to Nothingness must first cross Austria's highest bridge, which is 328 feet (100 meters) long and straddles a drop of 1,300 feet (396 meters). Then they face 14 steps that descend from the cliff face surrounded by glass walls.
courtesy Benedikt Lechner
The Alpspix Viewing Platform features two steel beams, both of which measure 79 feet (24 meters) in length. Visitors brave enough to walk to the end of the glass-walled platforms can look 3,281 feet (1,000 meters) down into the valley.
courtesy kinzua skywalk
The skywalk extends 624 feet (190 meters) into the Kinzua Gorge. Glass panels allow visitors to peer into the gorge below.
courtesy cn tower
Located on the roof of the CN Tower's restaurant at a height of 1,168 feet (356 meters), the EdgeWalk in Toronto allows visitors to slip into climbing harnesses and walk around the edge of Canada's tallest structure. There's also a glass floor 1,122 feet (342 meters) above ground level.
courtesy capilano cliffwalk
The Cliffwalk is a 700-foot (213-meter) walkway attached to a granite cliff face above the Capilano River in British Columbia. The highest point is 300 feet (90 meters) above the river.
courtesy view from the shard
The Shard in London is the tallest building in Western Europe. The View From the Shard is located on floors 68, 69 and 72. The best panoramas are from floor 72, at a height of 800 feet (244 meters). This open-air observation deck offers 360-degree views of the city.
courtesy nils vik
The lookout, commissioned by the Norwegian Highway Department as part of a project to improve the appearance of the country's tourist routes, allows visitors to look straight down into the Aurlandsfjord, 2,000 feet (609 meters) below.
courtesy tokyo sky tree
The Tokyo Skytree is the world's third-tallest structure, with a height of 2,080 feet (634 meters), and has Japan's two highest observation decks.
courtesy anto wolfgang zajc
The Top of Tyrol viewing platform looks over Austria's Stubai Glacier, providing visitors with spectacular views over 103 peaks.
courtesy derdachstein.at
The Dachstein Glacier actually comprises eight glaciers, and a visit to this high-altitude, glass-bottomed walkway is a great way to see them all.
courtesy sudtirolmarketing
The best views of Merano, Italy, are from this binocular-shaped viewing platform, high above a huge oak forest and the gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle. The viewing platform is just one of several within the gardens.
courtesy arizona tourism
This steel and glass, horseshoe-shaped walkway extends 70 feet (21 meters) over the lip of the Grand Canyon, almost a mile above the valley floor. Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin was the first person to step onto the Skywalk, which cost $30 million.