Shilinxia Glass Viewing Platform
Shilinxia Glass Viewing Platform
石林峡飞碟玻璃观景台
Huangsongyuxiang, Beijing, China
(246) feet high / (75) meters high
(197) foot span / (60) meter span
2016
If you referred to the Shilinxia Glass Viewing Platform as a marvel of engineering and a soaring architectural wonder, you might be right. But if also thought it was a strange, ghastly, outlandish and odd looking monstrosity more like a UFO then you would also be right. The resemblance to an otherworldly creation from an old science fiction film is not just a coincidence but part of the theme with an actual flying saucer and aliens parked right in the middle of the glass platform. What these green creatures have to do with sedimentary sandstone formations that are millions of years old is anyone's guess but you cannot accuse the owners of not wanting your attention.
The Three Natural Bridges make up the most spectacular section of the South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site north of Wulong. A popular tourist attraction for millions of visitors from Chongqing City, the three limestone arches have openings between 96 and 116 meters in height and can be accessed via a cliffside elevator that brings visitors to the floor of the Yangshui River gorge.
Although it is not the highest or longest platform ever built, the steel and glass Three Bridges viewing platform is probably the largest ever built with enough room to accommodate more than 100 tourists at a time.
The Tianshengsanqiao Viewing Platform height has not been measured but the vertical drop from the platform tip may be higher then 150 meters. The Three Natural Bridges are featured prominently in the 2014 film Transformers: Age of Extinction directed by Michael Bay.
Wulong Tianshengsanqiao Viewing Platform satellite image.
Wulong Tianshengsanqiao Viewing Platform location map.
