There is a Cliff-Hanging Glass Plank Road at Baiyun Mountain in Luoyang, More Beautiful than the Guoliang Road, with Precipitous Cliffs That Deter the Heart

Among the many famous mountains in the Central Plains, Baiyun Mountain is the most beautiful. Baiyun Mountain in Luoyang is the main peak of the Funiu Mountain Range. The highest peak, Yuhuang Peak, is known as the 'Ultimate Peak of the Central Plains' and is the best place to watch sunrise and sea of clouds, earning the reputation of 'fairyland on earth'. Baiyun Mountain not only features the Jiulong Waterfall Group, but also the 'mist-veiled green peaks, jade silk covering jade countenance' of Baiyun Peak, the 'green mountains embracing, water and mountains sharing colors' of Baiyun Lake and Yuhuang Lake. However, when it comes to the most thrilling and exciting spot, it has to be the glass plank road at Qianchi Cliff.

'Qianchi Cliff, a thousand feet sheer, even a harrier hawk cannot fly over, and immortals cannot cross.' This is a folk rhyme that has been circulating in Henan. What does it mean? It tells that there is a place called Qianchi Cliff at Baiyun Mountain in Luoyang. This place is a precipitous cliff standing thousands of feet high, poking into the nine heavens above and overlooking a deep abyss below. So steep and perilous that even the soaring harrier hawk cannot surmount. Since there is no road to reach it, even immortals can only look on in awe and dare not approach.

Below Qianchi Cliff is the famous White Dragon Grand Canyon, and above it is Baiyun Peak that pierces the clouds. The vertical drop is as high as 1000 meters. The glass plank road, with a height of 116 meters above the ground and a total length of 104 meters, is made of ultra-transparent triple-laminated safety glass. Ensuring safety while being extremely transparent, walking on it feels like strolling among the clouds.

According to the accompanying staff, the structure of Qianchi Cliff belongs to the Precambrian block and its cover. The cover structure is mainly composed of faults. After multiple crustal movements and orogenies, this steep and majestic landform was formed. Moreover, within these sheer cliffs, there is a cave skywalk, allowing modern tourists to reach places that even harrier hawks and immortals could not go before, and to enjoy scenery that their predecessors could not appreciate.

For ordinary people, the glass plank road is a fun challenge and a way to enjoy the landscape, but for tourists with acrophobia, it is terrifying. Does that mean these visitors are not worthy of appreciating the beauty of Qianchi Cliff? Of course not. The scenic area specially offers two choices at this section of the glass bridge: one can walk along the glass plank road, or take a tunnel through the mountain to bypass it. Therefore, we noticed that many people prefer to walk through the tunnel rather than dare the outdoor glass plank road.

It is said that there was originally a natural cave at the top of Qianchi Cliff. Legend has it that Li Zicheng, during his six campaigns to Song County, once took refuge here with eighteen disciples. Later, to allow tourists to best observe the beautiful scenery of the White Dragon Grand Canyon, the Baiyun Mountain Management Bureau, in 1992, excavated a cave skywalk about 800 meters long on the basis of the original cave, cutting through the sheer cliffs.

The entire skywalk is divided into five sections, with observation decks in the middle. Some sections are exposed outside the mountain, while others are hidden inside the mountain, forming a narrow tunnel. The entrance is an artificial tunnel halfway up the mountain, where there is an introduction to this cave skywalk.

This is a true cliff-hanging road. Similar to the famous Guoliang Road, some parts are exposed between the precipices. Originally there was no road; it was laboriously chiseled out of the vertical mountain body, with a section made of fully transparent glass. Just thinking about it is frightening. Although there are railings outside, walking along it still makes one shudder. Leaning on the railing, you can either gaze into the distance or look down at the breathtaking view of the Baihe Canyon.

To let everyone see clearly how perilous it is, I specially switched to a 14-24 ultra-wide-angle lens and took a vertical composition photo. The picture above shows what is meant by 'cliff standing a thousand feet tall', 'sheer precipice and overhanging rocks', and 'as if chopped by axes'. If clouds and mist rise, you truly cannot see the top above nor the ground below—beautiful and thrilling at the same time.

When you reach the end of the Qianchi Cliff skywalk, if you wish to continue visiting the White Dragon Grand Canyon and enjoy the eighteen waterfalls linked end to end, you can descend by stone stairs or take a zigzag slide (as shown in the picture above).

'Qianchi Cliff, a thousand feet sheer, even a harrier hawk cannot fly over, and immortals cannot cross!' That is a song of the past. Just like the saying 'The road to Shu is harder than ascending to the blue sky', although we marvel at its steepness and incredibility, we cannot help but admire the workers who built this road, admiring their determination to conquer nature. It is precisely because of their construction that we have the opportunity to walk up there and enjoy a different kind of scenery, experiencing a viewing angle that even former travelers (like Li Bai and Xu Xiake) never had.