The Bailang River Bridge Ferris Wheel certainly runs rings around its more common cousins seen at fairgrounds.
Standing 145m above a bridge in Weifang, in China’s Shandong province, it is billed as the world’s largest spokeless Ferris wheel, and is also 10m taller than the world-famous London Eye.
Unlike traditional designs, the central wheel of this futuristic structure remains stationary, while its 36 carts circle the ring on a running-gear mechanism.
The success of this design rests largely on the criss-crossing steel beams of the central wheel.
Called the “dragon spine”, it provides the strong support that is needed to make this engineering marvel work.
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The giant landmark has caught the eye of tourists and locals alike since it opened in May.
Up to 360 people can board the Ferris wheel at a time, with each cart able to carry 10 passengers.
Visitors have 28 minutes – the time the Ferris wheel takes to complete a rotation – to enjoy the breathtaking views of Bailang River.
And if that is not enough, each carriage also boasts a television set and Wi-Fi to keep everyone entertained.
This feature first appeared in Straits Times.
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