PREVIEW

Chinese architects have unveiled what may be the world’s scariest playground hanging high above a remote canyon on the Sichuan–Tibet Highway.

The new attraction sits along the G318, a notorious stretch nicknamed The Devil’s Road for its perilous hairpin turns carved into the mountainside above the Nujiang River.

Designed by Chengdu-based studio Archermit, the project transforms this once-dangerous route into a dramatic visitor destination, complete with viewpoints, bridges, walkways and zip lines.

Local authorities asked the architects to recast the area as “a playground to pursue thrills and challenges”, drawing on the culture of self-endurance that has long attracted pilgrims, trekkers and cyclists to the region.

The centrepiece is a looping cantilevered platform jutting out from the northern side of the canyon. It arcs scarily over the abyss before circling back to the cliff, with its reinforced glass floor allows visitors to look straight down to the river some 130 metres below.

From the main viewpoint, stepped paths edged with rust-coloured steel lead to two smaller platforms shaped like a space capsule and a leaf.

For thrill-seekers, though, the real attractions are a zip line and a white-steel suspension bridge fitted with a glass walkway and built to replace an ageing and unsafe crossing. On the far side, a brightly painted rope bridge known as the Thrilling Steps leads to a lift that climbs a sheer cliff to meet the second zip-line station.

The extensive use of weathered steel is intended to withstand the region’s harsh climate while echoing the red tones of the surrounding rock.

Construction proved challenging due to the site’s inaccessibility and unstable terrain. Foundations had to be drilled by hand, with temporary bridges and hoists used to bring materials into the canyon.

Nearly 500 acres of fruit orchards have also been planted nearby to bolster local tourism.