Glass-bottom deck opens atop China’s ‘horizontal skyscraper’

(CNN) — It’s easy to see why “The Crystal” is one of the most highly anticipated new attractions in China.

Designed by Moshe Safdie, the mastermind behind Singapore’s awe-inspiring Changi Jewel, the 250-meter-tall sky bridge is the highest of its kind.

Dubbed a horizontal skyscraper, it stretches 350 meters across four of the eight skyscrapers that make up Raffles City Chongqing, a multi-use riverside complex in the southwest China megacity. Aerial walkways also connect it to two more skyscrapers.

The Crystal recently unveiled its first attraction to the public: The Exploration Deck.

“The Exploration Deck is the first major attraction to launch in Chongqing since the lifting of the country’s nationwide lockdown and the public’s enthusiastic response is yet another encouraging sign of recovery in consumer sentiment,” says Lucas Loh, president of the CapitaLand Group in China.

As a crowd control measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19, a daily visitor quota of 3,000 has been implemented. Each visitor will be allotted a time slot to regulate the crowds.

On opening weekend in late May, almost all available tickets were sold out.

“All visitors to the Exploration Deck are required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken,” a CapitaLand spokesperson tells CNN Travel.

“Hand sanitizers are provided at each of the touchscreen panels and frequent sanitizing is carried out at areas with higher touch points — lifts and interactive panels, for example.”