【】

The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon bridge, the world's highest and longest glass bridge, is set to open in Hunan, China, next month and its operators want to assure you it's safe.

This follows incidents like the Yuntaishan glass bridge in central China's Henan province cracking last September. 

To assuage fears, Zhangjiajie's makers invited BBCreporter Dan Simmons to carry out a safety test.

SEE ALSO:Yoga enthusiasts strike poses on a cliff to show they've conquered their fear of heights

The test involves Simmons standing on top of an elevated glass panel -- the same panels that make up the bridge -- which was placed on the bridge and slamming a sledgehammer on it.

Mashable Top StoriesStay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletterBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Thanks for signing up!

At Simmons' first swing, the top layer of the panel shows visible cracks. He was then encouraged to take a few more swings at the glass panel. Despite the precarious-looking cracks that showed up after several hits, the glass panel remained intact.

View of the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon bridge.Credit: Shao ying/Imaginechina/ap

The bridge stretches for 430 metres between two cliffs and hovers 300 metres above ground. It is a scenic skywalk that's already racked up a bunch of world records even before it officially opened to the public.

Aerial view of the world's longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge.Credit: Shao ying/Imaginechina/AP

Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the bridge can hold 800 people at once and there are plans for it to be used as a fashion runway as well as a bungee jumping point.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

 

TopicsBBC

(责任编辑：熱點)