ZHANGJIAJIE, May 17, 2016 (Xinhua) -- An aerial photo taken on May 17, 2016 shows the construction site of a glass bridge at the Grand Canyon of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. The 430-meter-long, 6-meter-wide bridge is expected to be put into a trial operation in May. The structure has undergone nearly 100 safety tests to ensure that it can support the weight of 800 people. (Xinhua/Long Hongtao)
CHANGSHA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A 2-tonne truck was driven onto the world's longest and highest glass bridge in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province in central China, on Sunday in a safety test ahead of its slated opening in July.
The 430-meter bridge tucked between two steep cliffs is 300 meters above the ground.
To further convince the public of the bridge's sturdiness, 20 volunteers to used hammers to try to smash the glass, before an all-terrain vehicle carried 11 volunteers across the cracking glass. Another team of 10 volunteers then tried again to smash the glass.
Despite some fractures on the surface, the glass did not break.
The bridge is made of three layers of the tempered glass, all together 99 pieces, each of 3 by 4.5 meters and 15 mm thick. Damaged pieces can be removed and changed.
The unique pillar-like mountain formation in Zhangjiajie appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster movie "Avatar." The Grand Canyon Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie received more than 1.2 million visitors from home and abroad in 2015.
