Safety fears have seen Chinese province Hebei shut all of its glass-bottomed bridges, walkways and mountain viewing platforms over the last year, according to a report from Chinese state media.
Glass bridges have become something of a craze in China – it has an estimated 2,300 of them – with the attractions created to draw in thrill-seeking tourists.
However, there have been several accidents and fatalities on such attractions. Earlier this year, one tourist died and six others were injured after they fell off a glass slide – made more slippery by rainfall – in Guangxi province.
As a consequence, the Chinese government has called for local tourism authorities to carry out safety assessments on all glass attractions.
Hebei province, a mountainous region in the north of the country, has responded by shutting all 32 of its glass attractions as safety checks are carried out.
Among Hebei's glass attractions is the Hongyagu bridge, which, at 488m (1,600ft), was the longest in the world until May this year, and the East Taihang Glasswalk mountain walkway, which has a special effect glass floor that appears to shatter when stood upon.
