Shilinxia, known officially as "Shilinxia Scenic Area" is a twelve kilometer gorge located in Diaowo Village in Beijing's Pinggu District, China, 70 kilometers northeast of central Beijing.[1]
Shilinxia's main attraction is its Glass Sightseeing Platform, which, at a 32.8 meters overhang, is claimed to be the largest glass sightseeing platform in the world.[2] The platform is hung from the gorge's highest peak at 800 meters above sea level and 400 meters above the bottom of the gorge.[3] Construction of the platform, which was built with titanium alloys, was completed on April 31, 2016.[4]
Shilinxia serves as the setting for stories in Chinese mythology, including a love story between Xiagu (xiá gū 霞姑) and Sanlang (sān láng 三郎).:[5]
When you come to the Qixia Pool, you will see a sculpture of a pretty young Chinese woman, Xiagu. Legend has it that Xiagu lived here a long time ago and used to wash clothes at the pool. Her husband, Sanlang, was drafted into the army to resist a foreign invasion. One day, a flood dragon came to Shilinxia and imprisoned her because the dragon was drawn to her beauty.
Xiangu didn't surrender and killed herself by banging her head on a giant rock. Upon hearing the grievous news, Sanlang came back and slew the dragon with the help of an arhat, a "perfected person" who has achieved nirvanainBuddhist tradition. The arhat helped Xiagu and Sanlang become immortal and the couple stayed at Shilinxia to protect the local residents from then on.[6]