Ruyi Bridge, China: ‘Bending bridge’ goes viral

Take a look at Ruyi Bridge in the photo gallery above.

It is safe to say that China loves a good bridge, especially vertigo-inducing glass-bottomed ones.

In 2019, state media outlet ECNS estimated there were more than 2300 in the country, along with “an undetermined number of glass walkways or slides”.

Well, yet another marvel of architecture is gaining worldwide attention, a “bending bridge” that has led to claims it is “too crazy to exist”. Indeed, when images first begin to circulate of the bridge opened last year, many claimed they were fake, leading myth-busting site Snopes to investigate and confirm that it is, indeed, real. 

Ruyi Bridge is at the Shenxianju Scenic Area near Taizhou in Zhejiang province on the country’s east coast. 

The bridge’s design was thought to be too far-fetched when it was first announced in 2017, but after opening last year it has now welcomed thousands of tourists.

Inspired by jade ruyi, which symbolises power and good fortune in Chinese folklore, the 140m-high structure is three bridges with a deck partially made from glass.

The park explained in a post on social platform Weibo that “intertwined into an undulating bridge body, visitors have a sense of experience when they pass”.

“The rigid and soft shape is perfectly integrated with the natural scenery of the Fairy House, just like a jade ruyi in the sky, and like a fairy draped silk. The painting is like a screen, and when seen from a distance, the mountains are full of movement, and they also carry beauty and auspiciousness.”

Former Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted a video of the bridge, joking: “I’d want better handrails.”

Tourists in China just can’t get enough of glass bridges, despite photos and footage appearing of visitors clinging to the sides and being dragged across in apparent terror.

The Ruyi joins a long list of eye-catching bridges in China.

After all, it is home to the one-time tallest glass bridge in the world, the longest sea-crossing bridge on the planet, three of the top four longest suspension bridges, and the current world’s longest suspension glass bridge.

Stuff.co.nz

See also: World’s top 10 coolest pedestrian bridges

See also: Sorry, Sydney: 10 bridges much cooler than the Harbour Bridge