TARGET 160330
THE ZHANGJIAJIE WALKWAY
THE LOCATION
The deep Canyon in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China's Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Hunan Province has been called "China's Grand Canyon". Some say that it is even more majestic and beautiful than the Grand Canyon in the U.S. The area is home to striking sandstone and quartz cliffs, making dramatic landscapes. There are more than 3,000 narrow sandstone pillars and gorges with many pools, streams and waterfalls.
And, like the Grand Canyon in the U.S., the vast majority of visitors can only see it from above. But the cliff formations in the Zhangjiajie Canyon are different from those in the Grand Canyon, and the tops are also covered with dense forest.
THE MANMADE
So, for tourists to see down into the canyon, a walkway had to be built on the cliffside, rather than having an observation area on the top, as there is at the Grand Canyon.
So, at an altitude of 6,233 feet (1900 meters) above sea level, visitors have a chance to walk out onto a walkway and look down into the canyon at 300 meters (984 feet) below them. Did you notice the bridge going off to the right in the picture above? Well, the builders of the Zhangjiajie Canyon also built a bridge going all the way across the canyon, so visitors can walk from side to side across the canyon. At almost 7/10ths of a mile (1067 meters), it is the world's longest glass-bottom bridge. They are also planning to make it the site of the world's highest bungee jump.
And if you're wondering why it shines so white in the picture above, it is because it is made of glass. Inspired by the glass-bottomed Skyway at the Grand Canyon, the Chinese government made their walkway and adjacent bridge of clear glass, too.
There is a protective shield at the top of the cliff, all along its length, that will deflect any rocks falling from above. Even if a rock did one of the 1-inch (2.6 cm) thick panels, there would be no danger. The designers had the glass specially made in three separate layers so that each would protect the layer below it. As a result, the panel would crack but not break.
The Zhangjiajie Canyon was the inspiration for the fantastic landscape in James Camerons's movie, "Avatar", and there is now a statue of Neytin, the Navi princess in the movie, at the entrance of the walkway. (I included this because I knew that both the area's similarity and the statue would act as attractors for some viewers, and I wanted to give feedback for that, just in case.)
This Target of the week has obvious emotional content, but no danger. Of course, try telling that to some of the people who venture out onto the walkway, and they might have a different opinion.
Commenting on the fear it induces into people, the park director laughed and said, "They think that's bad - imagine having the job of the guy who cleans the underside of the glass."
Personally, my first thought was about the people who had to build it in the first place.
FEEDBACK MAP
If you got impressions for which this feedback is insufficient, more information,
pictures and videos can be found at the following web sites:
Metro News web site
The Daily Mail
Newscrusher web site - also video of the walkway
CNN
Many thanks to Teresa Frish for slelecting this target for the Wednesday night free webinars she holds on a monthly basis. We at PSI use the targets she selects on this day so viewers will not wind up getting two different targets with the same set of coordinates. You can sign up for these free webinars at her web page under the option, "Online Classes & Discussions". Videos of all of Teresa's webinars are available on YouTube