TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Designer explains his glass 'bridge of love'

  (China Daily/Asia News Network)
Thu, September 1, 2016

Share This Article

Change Size

Designer explains his glass 'bridge of love' The amazing scenery of the newly opened glass bridge. (IC via The China Daily/-)

I

n Zhangjiajie in Central China's Hunan province, there stands a glass bridge. Its Israeli designer, Haim Dotan, said it symbolizes love and nature.

"It will be a new icon in China," Dotan said in an interview on Sunday, a week after the bridge opened to the public for trial operation.

Born in Jerusalem, Dotan has a connection with China that is central to who he is. His grandparents came to China in the 1910s, and in 1919 his mother was born in Shanghai.

"The Chinese saved the lives of my grandparents and gave life to my mother. I am alive because of China," Dotan said.

He first came to China 30 years ago, and for Dotan it felt like he was returning home.

In 2010, he designed the Israeli Pavillion at the World Expo in Shanghai, where he met a client who asked if he could design a bridge in Zhangjiajie, an area famous for its scenery, particularly its otherworldly mountains that appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar.

Visitors walk on the glass-bottomed bridge in Zhangjiajie,Hunan province, on Aug 20,its opening day. (China Daily/Zhou Guoqiang)

"Nature is beautiful," Dotan said. "But how can I design a bridge that is invisible and can disappear?"

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu was an inspiration for Dotan.

"He once wrote that 'great music is unheard and good form is invisible'," Dotan said.

He decided to use glass and build the bridge in the shape of a butterfly, so that visitors feel like they are standing on air. He used white for the handrails - the color of clouds.

(Read also: World's longest, highest glass bridge opens in Hunan)

The bridge is 430 meters long and 6 meters wide, with a glass-bottom walkway suspended 300 meters above the canyon.

Comprising 99 panes of three-layer transparent glass, the bridge set 10 world records for design and construction, and went through many experiments to ensure safety.

A maximum of 8,000 visitors are allowed to cross the bridge each day. A reservation must be made one day ahead. Above all, he would like to see it become "a bridge of love".

"Lovers can walk on the bridge and say, 'I love you'. Their voice will then echo through the canyon," Dotan said.

{

Your Opinion Counts

Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.