An SUV is driven on the world's longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge during a safety test over the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, on Sunday.Photo: IC

A man hits the bridge with a sledgehammer to demonstrate its strength. Photo: IC

In a continuing effort to promote the safety of the world's longest glass-bottom bridge, local tourism officials drove an SUV on it after inviting a group to smash it with sledgehammers.

The group of 30 apparently had a smashing good time at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon skywalk in Hunan Province on Saturday as they tried their best to crack through the tempered glass.

By the time the bridge had sustained a total 154 hammer blows, a Volvo SUV carrying 10 people had twice been driven across the cracked glass, chinanews.com reported.

Set to open in July, the bridge spans 430 meters and is suspended 300 meters above the canyon floor, offering sweeping views of the national park.

The bridge bottom consists of three panels of tempered glass bonded with a special adhesive to ensure its strength, according to Chen Zhidong, principal of the Zhangjiajie Tourism Office.

A similar smash-up was held earlier this month, when the bridge makers invited a BBC journalist to take swings at the bridge bottom.

The stunts were in part performed to settle the concerns of visitors after a similar bridge at  Yuntai Mountain, Henan Province reportedly cracked in September when a tourist dropped a mug on it, People's Daily reported.

chinanews.com