China: Musical glass skywalk opens to public

Hold tight: Some walkers were a little nervous about the sheer drop below

A new cliff-side glass walkway has opened to the public in eastern China with an added novelty factor - it plays musical notes as visitors walk.

The path stretches for 180m (590ft) along the side of a mountain in Shiniuzhai National Geopark, and features special double-layered glass, the China Daily website reports. It's fitted with pressure sensors which play 70 different notes, so anyone brave enough to cross the path can compose a tune at the same time. While there are several other popular skywalks in China, this is the first to add music to the mix. But melodies might not do much to calm the nerves - photos of the first visitors show many keeping a firm hold of the hand rail or gripping the rock face itself.

While the finished product may be vertigo-inducing, visitors might spare a thought for the construction workers who built it. A group of 21 men worked without safety nets or harnesses on the path, earning 400 yuan ($64; £40) per day, the Global Times reported in April. "We started building the walkway standing on the few footholds we could find on the cliff," worker Zhang Xianguo told the paper. One of his colleagues said the work isn't that dangerous, "as long as you watch out a bit".

Flying high: Other visitors took on the glass path with confidence

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