The Huangguoshu Waterfall in China is known for its majestic main waterfall and the densely connected waterfall cluster at home and abroad. Next to the waterfall, there is a world-class bridge, named Balinghe Bridge. On the bridge, there are many extreme sports facilities, such as “the highest commercial bungee jumping facility in the world” recognized by Guinness World Records, super swings, skydiving, paragliding, ziplininga and a glass skywalk, leaving tourists with thrilling memories.

The Balinghe Bridge is 2,237 meters long, which amount to the distance of running around the playground with a 800-meter running loop trail three times. In addition, it is 370 meters above the ground, which may be equivalent to the height of a 130-story building! The whole bridge uses about 65,000 tons of steel and 800,000 bolts and nuts, with a total investment of 1.48 billion yuan. The construction started in 2005 and completed in 2009. After its opening, the travel time between the two sides of the valley has been shortened from an hour to 4 minutes!

To build such a huge suspension bridge over the deep valley would meet a lot of technical problems. Firstly, how to put the pilot cable from one side to the opposite side of the gorge? Guizhou Provincial Bridge Engineering Corporation chose to send a remote-control airship to hang the pilot cable, commanding the airship to fly to a spot more than 10 meters above the designated place and placing the rope stably, accurately and quickly in the intended spot. According to Yang Guanghua, deputy general manager of the corporation, this task was mainly completed by workers in the past. Balinghe Bridge is the first to use a remote-control airship for placing the pilot cable in the history of suspension bridge construction.

Balinghe Bridge is not only a “technological bridge”, but also a “tourist bridge”. Many facilities, such as super swings, skydiving, paragliding, ziplining and a glass skywalk make it a famous extreme sports site. The Balinghe Bridge Bungee Jump is 370 meters high, making a new Guinness World Records of “the highest commercial bungee jumping facility in the world”, breaking the record once made by the Tower of Macau (233 meters). “The extreme sports on the bridge, as an important component of the Huangguoshu Scenic Area, can contribute to the tourism development of the whole scenic spot, ” said Peng Yu, general manager of Expressway Investment Service Management.