Glass path of fear. Glass road in China - the path to heaven

Glass "Path of fear" or the so-called air path» built on mount tianmeng s in China. Alas, this attraction is not intended for the faint of heart, because the path is located at an altitude of almost 1450 meters above sea level.

On one side of you is a rocky abyss, and on the other, a smooth rocky wall. A small glass bridge only 6 centimeters thick and no more than a meter wide protects you from falling. I am sure, stepping on it, you will instantly take your breath away. After all, a perfectly transparent glass bridge clearly shows where you can go if you take the wrong step.

The length of the bridge is about 70 meters and it is attached to the western cliff of the mountain, thus connecting zhangjiajie mountains and Tianmen. This path terrifies not only tourists, but also the staff. Therefore, in order to maintain cleanliness, visitors are asked to wear shoe covers. Such an excursion is designed for fearless tourists, because not everyone dares to go through glass bridge. But even they are strongly discouraged from looking down.

The path of fear was constructed just a couple of years ago, as a reflection glass bridge over the Grand Canyon, in the USA. This bridge is a little more modest, its length is only 22 meters, and the height is 1300 meters. In addition to the unusual path, on the mountain you can visit the highest cave in the world, formed due to erosion processes. Also, Tianmen Mountain, reaching a height of 1500 meters, is the habitat of many rare plant species. A functioning funicular, more than 7 km long, is recognized as the longest in the world.

Although the glass path looks terrifying, it is just an improvement on another path located in the same province. 130 km from this place, there is a wooden path also at an altitude of 1400 m. When it is fully completed, it will be 2 km long, making it the largest observation deck in China.

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The address: China, Hunan Province
Height: 1519 m
Main attractions: glass path, cable car, Heaven's Gate Arch, Tianmenshan Temple
Coordinates: 29°03"04.3"N 110°29"02.3"E

China has always attracted the attention of not only travelers from all over our vast planet, but also historians, archaeologists, geologists, linguists and other scientists.

North Gate to Tianmen Mountain National Park

There is nothing surprising in this: a huge number of sights built by human hands and created by nature itself, a lot of mysteries, myths and legends that envelop this mysterious country, simply cannot but arouse the interest of an educated person. China currently has a large number of architectural structures, which, for one reason or another, are listed in the legendary Guinness Book of Records. If a tourist was brought to the Middle Kingdom, he should definitely try to find time and visit the small, of course, by Chinese standards, the town of Zhangjiajie, more precisely, Mount Tianmen, which is only eight kilometers from the village.

Those who have visited Mount Tianmen have touched the heavens. These are not just beautiful words from a tourist brochure, the purpose of which is to draw attention to the sights of China: on Mount Tianmen there is a real “Gate to Heaven”! By the way, "Gate to Heaven" is a cave formed as a result of the fall of a huge piece of rock. This real natural miracle was formed relatively recently, "only" in 263 AD. Most Chinese do not like the name "Gate to Heaven" and call their place, permeated with an atmosphere of mysticism, " magic cave Western Hunan.

General view of the Heavenly Highway

Of particular interest is the fact that Mount Tianmen, which is crowded almost every day of the year, is considered the first mountain in the National Park, starting right outside the city limits of Zhangjiajie, officially measured by scientists. Its height is determined to the nearest centimeter: 1,518 meters and 60 centimeters. Such an accurate measurement was made possible thanks to the painstaking work of many specialists and special measuring equipment.

If someone thinks that Tianmen Mountain itself is the main attraction of the National Park He is, of course, right, but only partly. The thing is that on the mountain itself there are several objects built by human hands at once, and which can be safely called the very best. The longest, the most sinuous and even the most terrible! However, Tianmen Mountain and its sights deserve special attention, and each of them should be discussed in detail.

View of the serpentine

Many tourists who are just planning a trip to China and an excursion to Tianmen can conclude from the beginning of this material that a mountain 1,518 meters high and 60 centimeters high is ready to be conquered by anyone. However, this opinion is erroneous, and the height of the mountain has nothing to do with it: climbing a mountain near the city of Zhangjiajie is a real test for physically hardy and strong-willed people. This already becomes clear at the moment when Tianmen can be seen from the window of a car or a sightseeing bus.

Tianmen Mountain - Legends, Myths and Stubborn Facts

“What is Tianmen Mountain famous for all over the world?” - a tourist who has never been to the Middle Kingdom or simply has not visited Zhangjiajie may ask a question. Naturally, its height cannot be compared with the snow-capped Alps or the mighty Everest. However, its popularity, nevertheless, is inextricably linked with height. The thing is that it is on Mount Tianmen that there is an amazingly beautiful cave, which is currently recognized as the highest in the world. We are not even talking about its size, but about the height above sea level at which it was formed as a result of erosion. As mentioned above, thanks to the habit of the Chinese to keep chronicles, it is reliably known that the cave was formed in the year 263, when a huge piece of rock fell off Tianmen. The length of this cave is 60 meters, the width is about 57 meters, and the height is 131 and a half meters.

Cableway to Tianmen Mountain

The fact that this cave is located so high above sea level and that it is of impressive size does not at all explain its popularity among the thousands of tourists who annually come to Zhangjiajie to see firsthand one of greatest miracles nature. The climate in the National Park, in which, in fact, Tianmen Mountain rises, contributes to the constant formation of clouds. As mentioned above, the cave is very high, so it is constantly shrouded in clouds. Even the most inveterate skeptic who has risen to this mysterious and mystical place, it seems that he is about to get to ... heaven. It is for this reason that the cave on Mount Tianmen got its name "Heaven's Gate".

By the way, many Chinese consider this mountain to be almost the most sacred place In your country. According to legend, the mountain is really connected with the sky and has great power. She is able not only to influence the fate of people, but also to predict significant events in the country and show real miracles to everyone. The annals more than once describe mysterious phenomena that occurred on the mountain at different periods of time. These ancient documents can be treated with skepticism and even irony, however, as they say, facts are stubborn things.

View of the cable car

Already in the 20th century, four inexplicable miracles occurred on Mount Tianmen at once, which plunged the experts who were watching them into a state of stupor. In 1949, when China appeared on the world map People's Republic, a powerful waterfall gushed from the top of the mountain, which lasted only 15 minutes. “Probably, this is some kind of coincidence,” a person who does not believe in the world of the supernatural might think. However, exactly the same miracles happened just before the death of Mao Zedong, during the suppression of a student rally in the capital of the Middle Kingdom and before the devastating flood of 1998. When something happens only once, it can be called an accident, but when manifestations of the supernatural occur with enviable regularity, it cannot even be called a coincidence. By the way, numerous scientists observed the last three events, all of them, without exception, shrugged their shoulders and came to the unanimous opinion that it is impossible to explain the phenomenon of Mount Tianmen from a scientific point of view.

mysterious natural phenomena taking place on mysterious grief- not the only thing that excites the minds of researchers and tourists. There is a legend, not even a legend, but a legend that is passed down from generation to generation: it says that a priceless treasure is hidden on the mystical Tianmen.

View of the Heaven's Gate Arch

A huge amount of gold, silver, precious stones, ancient tomes were hidden on the mountain by one of the peasants during the uprising against the atrocities committed in the Celestial Empire by the Ming dynasty. Numerous archaeological expeditions have not brought results. More precisely, during the research, the treasure was not found, but scientists practically managed to prove that the treasures on Tianmen were indeed hidden in ancient times. By the way, these days on the mountain you can often meet numerous "fortune hunters" who are trying to find countless treasures that previously belonged to the powerful Ming Dynasty.

Tianmen is famous not only for the cave called "Gate to Heaven", supernatural events and the legend of hidden treasures. There is also a Buddhist temple on the mountain, where pilgrims come to worship sacred relics. This temple is called the same as the cave: "Heaven's Gate". The area on which temples and service premises of amazing beauty are located is neither more nor less than 10,000 (!) square meters. This place has been considered sacred since the Ming Dynasty.

Walking path along the mountain range

Perhaps it is on the territory of this Buddhist temple that priceless treasures are hidden? To this question, the answer, most likely, will not be found in the near future. All attempts by scientists to conduct research and excavations on its territory ended in failure. The monks forbid any work on sacred land for every Buddhist. By the way, the Chinese government will also not allow research in the monastery just because it is located on the territory of the National Park.

Climbing Mount Tianmen or a challenge is not for the faint of heart

There are three ways to climb to the Gateway to Heaven Cave. The first of them is the most tireless: the tourist is invited to overcome the distance to natural wonder light on the "most ordinary" cable car. By the way, it is ordinary only because it has all the components that are typical for any cable car. And almost all of its parts are not made in China, but in France, so it is absolutely safe. True, it is worth considering that the trip in the cabin will take quite a long time: Tianmen cable car is considered the longest in the world and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Its length is almost 7.5 kilometers. It is also worth considering that most of the path will run over the abyss. Scary? Scary only for those who have not climbed to the top of the mountain along a hiking trail and a highway!

glass path

The road has its own name: "road 99 turns." By the way, you can also walk along it. Its length is 11 kilometers, and it really has 99 turns. This road, which will take almost all the strength of even a physically hardy traveler, was built by the Chinese in 8 years, which can be safely called a feat. The same feat as climbing Mount Tianmen on foot. Those tourists who have climbed to the top of the mountain without a car face another challenge: to get to the Gate to Heaven cave, you will have to overcome another 999 steps. It is worth noting that the number 9 constantly appears on Mount Tianmen. By the way, the “nine” is sacred for every Chinese, according to Taoist teachings, this figure is the last one that the human brain is able to understand, realize and perceive.

After walking up to the "Gate to Heaven", travelers usually no longer have the strength to descend. The enterprising Chinese solved this problem: buses constantly run from the top along the 99 Turns road. A trip by bus or car, by the way, also turns into a difficult test, the distance between sharp turns in some places of the road does not exceed 200 meters! True, after visiting the highest cave in the world, formed naturally, you should not rush to leave Mount Tianmen. There is another test here, which is recommended only for people with a stable psyche and a strong nervous system.

Tianmen Mountain Glass Trail

For those travelers who want to get another huge dose of adrenaline after climbing the mountain, the Chinese offer a walk along the Tianmen glass path. Its length is about 70 meters, but it has long been called among tourists "terror trail". The "bridge", located at an altitude of 1,400 meters above sea level, is made of ... real glass. A glass floor, a glass side, on one side a sheer cliff, and underfoot a bottomless abyss. Looking at the photo of the Tianmen glass path, many argue that they would have easily passed this test. However, such bravado quickly ends when the tourist has to go through this "attraction" and prove his fearlessness. Many try to walk along the glass path right next to the rock, although it is so smooth in this place that there is nothing to grab on to. Only a few decide to approach the side. Some daredevils, having barely stepped on the glass, only 6 centimeters thick, immediately refuse to look into the abyss under their feet. The Chinese constantly monitor the legendary trail and clean it of dust. Therefore, any person has the impression that he is walking on air and at any moment can break down. Certain problems are caused by the fact that you can walk along the glass path only in special shoe covers made of fabric. Such a rule exists in order to avoid stains and dirt on the glass floor, but the fabric slips so treacherously ....

"Path of fear" - a glass road over the abyss, one of the main attractions of China

China has always attracted the attention of not only travelers from all over our vast planet, but also historians, archaeologists, geologists, linguists and other scientists.

There is nothing surprising in this: a huge number of sights built by human hands and created by nature itself, a lot of mysteries, myths and legends that envelop this mysterious country simply cannot but arouse the interest of an educated person. In China, at the moment there is a huge number of architectural structures, which, for one reason or another, are listed in the legendary Guinness Book of Records.

Description

Tianmen Mountain is one of the famous sights of the southern Chinese province of Hunan. For the amusement of brave tourists on Monday, another attraction opened there, the third of its kind in a row. A narrow glass path was laid right around the sheer cliff. Those wishing to tickle their nerves are separated from the abyss more than a kilometer high only by a low (and also glass) side.

Previously, this place was laid wooden bridge, however, the administration national park Tianmen Mountain decided to exacerbate the impressions of the guests of the sights by replacing it with a glass path.

The length of the structure, clinging to a rocky cliff, is one hundred meters, and its width is only one and a half meters. The daredevils who ventured to try the track will be able to enjoy the magnificent panoramas of the mountain valleys from a height of 1.4 kilometers. The new attraction is the third glass trail around Tianmen Mountain. Its two predecessors, the first of which opened back in 2011, are very popular with numerous visitors to the national park.

Peculiarities

Certain problems are caused by the fact that you can walk along the glass path only in special shoe covers made of fabric. Such a rule exists in order to avoid stains and dirt on the glass floor, but the fabric slips so treacherously ....

The caretakers who keep order on the glass path are fluent in English language. They warn all tourists that the passage along the Tianmen glass path is designed for people with a strong nervous system. Moreover, they strongly do not recommend looking down during a short walk: it is not uncommon for tourists who overestimated their nervous system to faint right in the middle of the attraction.

By the way, this path offers a stunning view of the stone pillars, which, like Mount Tianmen, are included in the National Park. Surprisingly, these pillars can even be seen in a feature film. More precisely, not the pillars themselves, but flying islands similar to them. Probably, many have already guessed that they became the prototype for the flying islands, from the well-known film "Avatar".

At the moment, the glass path on Tianmen Mountain is considered the most scary attraction in the world. At least, this is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted among extreme tourists. An attempt was made to compete with the Chinese bridge in Switzerland by building the Titlis Cliff Walk. It is a "regular" suspension bridge in the Alps at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters. True, so far it is not as popular as the glass path to Tianmen. Firstly, the glass floor, as mentioned above, causes an indescribable feeling of fear, and secondly, every traveler at some point wonders if another miracle will happen on the mystical mountain, and suddenly at that very moment with her peaks a powerful waterfall will rush ...

What else to see in Zhangjiajie National Park?

Certainly, national park Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is not only famous for its glass bridge. This is one of the most beautiful parks China, which has been under the protection of UNESCO since the late 1990s. The local nature not only captivated thousands of tourists from all over the world, but also became a source of inspiration for the award-winning director James Cameron. He specially came here to admire the stone pillars, which eventually became the prototype of the floating mountains in the acclaimed film Avatar.

Apart from stone pillars and the glass path, there are many attractions in Zhangjiajie Park that deserve attention:

1. The mountains. They are especially beautiful in the morning when they are covered with a thick layer of fog.
2. Stairway to Huanshi Mountain 3800 steps high, leading to the air path.
3. Elevator "Hundred Dragons". The highest lift in the world, lifting tourists 330 meters above the ground. Its transparent walls and ceiling provide a view of all local attractions.
4. The cable car to Mount Tianji, stretching for 7445 m, is the highest and longest in the world.
5. "Sky Highway" 11 km of dangerous mountain serpentine with more than 100 sharp turns.
6. A network of caves, including the four-level Yellow Lion Cave at an altitude of over 1000 m.

Opening hours and prices

You can walk along the glass bridge on Tianmen Mountain daily from 7:00 to 18:00 - at this time the last funicular leaves for the bridge. But you can enter Zhangjiajie Park itself later, if you wish, you can even stay on the territory of the national park for the night, settling in one of the hotels located there.

Entrance fee to the park depends on age and social status visitor:

1. An adult pass for 3 days costs 248 yuan, including insurance - 3 yuan.
2. For students under 24 years old and children under 1.2 m tall, a three-day subscription will cost 163 yuan. Youth must show a student ID to receive a discount. If it does not indicate the date of birth, you should additionally present a passport.
3. Special benefits are provided to disabled people of groups I and II, war veterans and the military, as well as pensioners over 70 years old. The cost of a three-day subscription for these categories of visitors is 68 yuan.

Ticket price includes: entrance to the park and travel through the territory on scheduled buses. Elevator, funiculars, trams, excursions to the caves are paid separately.

Attention! The 300-meter bridge over the Pingyan Valley is not located in the park, it is separate standing mountain Tianji and this mountain ticket is bought separately and costs another 270 yuan.

How to get there?

By plane

Near the Zhangjiajie Nature Park, there are two small towns - Zhangjiajie and Wulingyuan. You can get to them by plane from any big city A: Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, but it's cheaper and faster to fly from Shanghai.

By train

From any smaller city in central China, it is cheaper to travel by train. True, you will have to go through several connections.

Public transport

In addition, the town of Zhangjiajie can be reached by bus from Changsha and Fnghuang, located relatively close. When you reach Zhangjiajie or Wulingyuan, you should take a bus to the park. It departs from the bus station and travels about 1 hour. The ticket price is about 12 yuan. The bus will arrive at the bus station, from which you will need to walk a few minutes to the entrance to the national park.

Taxi

A more comfortable and faster way is a taxi, which will cost 100-200 yuan, but will deliver you exactly to your destination. The only negative is that Chinese taxi drivers do not speak English, which can make it difficult to explain where to go. It is better to have a booklet with the name of the park with you or show it on the screen of your smartphone in order to avoid misunderstandings with the driver. And be sure to check that the taxi driver turns on the meter, otherwise a dishonest driver will try to deceive you.

Reviews of tourists

We went up on the cable car, the views are beautiful. Then we went to the right along the glass path. We were very lucky with the weather, but we didn't have much time. We went down the escalators to the Heaven's Gate, everything was perfectly organized. Then we went down a steep descent with 999 steps, impressive. From the lower platform we went down by bus along the serpentine. We wanted to get off at the intermediate station of the cable car, but the bus did not stop there, it just passed by. Probably because it was already evening, although the cabs of the cable car still continued to rise up.

Mount Tianmen is famous for its glass path at an altitude of 1430 meters. When buying tickets at the box office, you need to decide on the route: a) climbing on the cable car, descending on the bus b) climbing on the bus, descending on the cable car. We chose the first option. From the beginning we climbed to the top with the help of the longest cable car in the world. On the mountain, we went around it on the right side. Here is the glass path. To pass through it, you need to pay 5 yuan for shoe covers made of fabric. On the other side of the mountain, there is also a passage along a section of the glass path, and the payment for shoe covers is also 5 yuan. Next, we went down the escalators (free of charge) to the Heaven's Gate and before us opened the descent along the steep 999 steps. You can not go down the stairs, but this way to go on an escalator inside the mountain for an additional fee of 35 yuan. Then on the buses along the serpentine we returned to the beginning of our ascent on the cable car.

On the day we planned to climb the mountain, it was foggy and raining. We thought that the rain would still end, we went to the cable car and climbed the mountain. While climbing (and this is about 40 minutes), something else was visible, but at the top they were already wandering like hedgehogs in the fog, visibility was 3. We walked around the mountain, along the glass path too. But there were no people on it at all! This is a plus. But there are no views, this is a minus. The rain intensified and turned directly into a downpour, so they began to hastily descend, they didn’t get to the mountain with a hole, we don’t even know if they let it in or not. On the bus, we didn’t dare to go along the road 99 turns and went to the cable car. When we were already descending in the booth, booths clogged with people rose towards us. At the bottom there was also a huge queue to get up, the weather does not stop the Chinese. And in the evening there was a flood in the city, our train got stuck in a tunnel under a collapse. But that is another story. If I am in those parts, then I will probably repeat the ascent.

belaya_e

A bit overshadowed by waiting in line for the funicular to climb the mountain. We arrived at 9 o'clock, and there were already a million Chinese. We stood in line for an hour, since it was September and not particularly hot. But as soon as we got into the funicular cabin, the negative disappeared) For almost 40 minutes you soar in the air and enjoy the views! It will take about 2 hours to visit the mountain. There are 2 ways to choose from - east and west. There is no difference which way to choose, because. the route is closed in a ring. There are glass roads on both the east and west routes, which require an additional fee to visit. Also for extra. fee could be on the open funicular to climb to the temple. Because It was very cloudy so we didn't go any higher.

Galina P

I was lucky with the weather, and there were not even queues, although I was right after the holidays. The impressions are awesome, I passed two glass paths, it turned out that it’s not scary at all, This route is a must to visit.

Are you afraid of heights?

I met people who feel uncomfortable even on the balcony of the 4th floor, not to mention the roof of the nine-story building :-). But people are attracted by the unknown and what brings adrenaline.

It is for this that the amazing glass path of fear was made, and it attracts travelers from all over the world like a magnet.

A glass road 60 meters long is attached to a rock above a precipice at an altitude of 1430 meters. "Road of fear and delight" is located on Mount Tianmen in the famous national reserve Zhangjiajie.

Beautiful views are opened from this trail, but not many find the strength to step on the glass floor, even if it is made of glass 6 cm thick, but still seeing such an abyss 1.4 km below is not for the faint of heart. Not all cleaners agree to such work, although after it you probably won’t surprise them with height :-). In order not to scratch the glass, those wishing to walk along the bridge are asked to wear shoe covers.

Zhangjiajie National Park can be said to be "filled" with heaven and wonders. In addition to the path of fear, an impressive cable car has been built here, as well as an amazing staircase to the sky - stone steps that lead to a hole in the rock formed hundreds of years ago.

P.S. I definitely need to go there, and I also want to Grand Canyon in America

Phrases: path of fear, glass road, road in heaven