Record breaking bridge in a glass of its own

Those who suffer from vertigo look away now.

The world's longest and highest glass-floored bridge is set to open to the public in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province on Aug 20, with many either excited or nervous visitors ready to cross the gaping chasm, complete with a mindboggling view beneath.

It is not the first, nor will it be the last of what has become an obsession for tourism bureaus across China, aiming to provide an element of excitement and danger to what are already truly unique and awe-inspiring landscapes.

The world's longest and highest glass bridge is set to open at the Grand Canyon in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Hunan province on Aug 20. [Xinhua/Long Hongtao]

The latest glass-bottomed bridge, spanning the Grand Canyon Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie, is a whopping 430 meters long, 6 meters wide, and paved with 99 panes of three-layered transparent glass. The bridge, set among the scenery that inspired the blockbuster movie "Avatar", strides across a 300-meter gorge, has set 10 different world records, and will accommodate 8,000 visitors a day when it opens.

And if those figures aren't enough to get you trembling, a bungee jump platform is to be built at the center of the bridge at a later date.