Chinese glass bridge bungy new world's highest at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

One of the first tourists jumps from the 260m Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon bungy. Photo / Wu Yongbing Getty Images

Plunging into a gorge in China's Hunan province beneath a 430-metre glass bridge you'll find the world's new highest bungy jump.

Already famous for its massive Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, the 260 metre bungy is the latest draw for thrillseekers to the UNESCO heritage site.

To put that in perspective: this is six times the height of the Kawarau Bridge Jump in Queenstown.

It dethrones Hackett International's Macau Skytower as the highest jump in China by 30 metres and takes the overall world title from the Las Vegas SkyJump by 5 metres.

The surrounding quartzite stacks and canyons of Wulingyuan have become a big draw for domestic tourists, who come to take in the dramatic atmosphere.

The bungy was difficult to get off the ground. There were many false starts for the bungy, which had been planned since 2018. It's launch in 2020 was delayed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and restrictions imposed by the Chinese government.

The glass-bottom bridge at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon first opened to crowds of 80,0000 a day - far more than planned. Photo / Getty Images

"We are probably averaging 20 jumps a day at the moment, which is pretty good for a jump this size," operator Joni Deaker told Reuters, as he prepared for the summer traffic.

Records topple at the Zhangjiajie Bridge at an alarming rate.

When it was opened in 2016 the structure designed by architect Haim Dotan was the longest glass bridge in the world.

This title was taken last year by a new 530 metre bridge in the Three Gorges Scenic Area, on the other side of China - so doubtless there will soon be a competitor to the new bungy record.

There's no shortage of demand for the impressive glass tourist attractions.
In 2016 the Zhangjiajie bridge had to be closed for strengthening due to the huge demand for the bridge. The bridge was rated at 8,000 visitors per day capacity, but demand was 10 times as much from tourists, reported CNN.

According to the Geological Museum of China, at least 60 glass-bottomed bridges have been built across the country since then.

Earlier this year a tourist was left dangling after a glass bridge smashed on Piyan Mountain in the city of Longjing on the border with North Korea and Russia.