A bridge in China has baffled people so much that they think that it is not real. In fact, when pictures of a bending, undulating bridge over a deep gorge surfaced online, it was quickly slammed as fake.
The Ruyi bridge in Zhejiang province looks more like it belongs in the movie Avatar than it does on Earth. The glass bridge stands 140 meters above the ground and it is known as the ‘bending’ bridge because of how it looks.
Unfortunately, those who labeled it fake, they’re wrong.
Chris Hadfield, an astronaut shared aerial footage of the Ruyi Bridge in Zhejiang Province in China in January, capturing the interest of the internet. Hadfield did not take the footage from space, just a drone, he just happens to be an astronaut.
I’d want better handrails.
(Ruyi Bridge at Shenxianju, Taizhou, Zhejiang, China) pic.twitter.com/EcctD6Dkbo
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) November 29, 2020
Despite its inconceivable appearance, the bridge is most certainly real. It is made up of three bridges, to interpret the Chinese object jade ruyi – a sword that symbolizes power and good luck.
‘AWM’ added these details:
According to a YouTube channel entitled Oriental Image, “The ‘Ruyi Bridge’ in the Shenxianju Scenic Area in Xianju county is shaped like a jade Ruyi in the sky, attracting many tourists to take pictures, Taizhou City, East China’s Zhejiang Province, 17 October 2020.” The aerial footage of the bridge was uploaded to YouTube at the beginning of November 2020.
The bridge is only one hundred meters long or 328 feet. However, it was designed in such a way to be perfectly terrifying for those who are brave enough to attempt to cross it. Since the bridge is created from transparent glass, people who cross it can look down toward the bottom of the ravine while standing safely on the bridge.
Arquitectura Viva confirmed that the bridge was designed by He Yunchang. As a steel expert, he was the person who helped create the iconic Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium for the 2008 Olympics.
Not only is the Ruyi Bridge windy, but it is also one of the highest bridges in the world. The bridge opened to the world in September 2020 and has already hosted more than 200,000 visitors.
Here’s what folks all over the world have been saying, taken an excerpt from DailyMail’s report on the Ruyi bridge:
“A solid no.”
“Just looking at the photos would give me nightmares.”
“Omg, no way would I cross that. It’s my worst nightmare.”
“China making awesome things, and here we canceling everything.”
“I might consider it on virtual reality, but even then, probably not.”
“Try walking on Rainbow Bridge built into the rock over the Grand Canyon, with a sheer drop of hundreds of feet. That’s another leap of faith.”
“Clever, no doubt, but why ruin such a beautiful location with something so obtrusive?”
Other readers expressed their concern because the bridge was made in China.
“I don’t trust anything made in China.”
“Based on my experience of China cheapies, I’m guessing the bridge was straight when made and then warped out of shape within a week or two…”
“Having seen (on LiveLeak) numerous videos of people being swallowed by collapsing Chinese escalators and similar examples of failing Chinese engineering, I would give this bridge a miss.”
“While China is busy building and innovating, British are busy pulling down Statue.”
Source: AWM
