Shiziguan Tourist Area

Shiziguan Tourist Area

Shiziguan Tourist Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Where is the Enshi viral floating bridge? It is located at Shiziguan in the southwestern part of Hubei Province.

The Shiziguan Tourist Area in Xuan'en County, Enshi Province, is located in Xuan'en County, Enshi Prefecture, Hubei Province. The scenic area is surrounded by three gorges, within which are scattered caves, rock formations, waterfalls, and other attractions. The area is divided into a dry gorge sightseeing zone and a water gorge sightseeing zone, also known as the "Mandarin Duck Gorge" or "Male-Female Gorge." It features dozens of tourist attractions such as "Bridge of Dreams," "Monkey Village," "Lion Roar Waterfall," "Lion’s Mouth," "Golden Cat Pass," "Lion Guarding the Pass," "One-Line Sky," "Lion Roar Rock," and "Sinkhole Waterfall," where natural and cultural landscapes complement each other. The "Bridge of Dreams," also known as the water floating bridge, when viewed from above, winds across the water surface.

Enshi Viral Floating Bridge Attraction

On May 16, a vehicle fell off the viral floating bridge road at Shiziguan Scenic Area in Enshi, Hubei. A black tour bus veered off the floating bridge, went over the railing, and sank into the river. The accident resulted in 5 people drowning on the spot and 3 injured. After being reported by news media, the incident caused an uproar in society.

Incident Details

According to videos taken by tourists, two vehicles were driving at a steady pace toward the latter section of the floating bridge when the black medium-sized bus involved in the accident entered the bridge, slightly faster than the two cars ahead. At that time, there was some water accumulation on the bridge surface. As the black vehicle approached a turn, it began to skid, then suddenly lost control, veered off the guardrail, and fell into the river.

After the black vehicle fell into the river, its front end submerged while the rear remained caught on the edge of the bridge. Two other vehicles passed the accident site afterward, causing significant undulation on the floating bridge, which accelerated the sinking of the black vehicle, leading to its complete submersion.

Rescue Efforts

Another close-up video taken by tourists showed that shortly after the accident, a sightseeing vehicle passed the scene, and tourists disembarked to join spontaneous rescue efforts. Three tourists managed to escape the sunken vehicle and floated on the water before being rescued by passersby onto the bridge. Soon after, scenic area staff arrived to assist with the rescue.

According to Ms. Xia, a tourist who helped with the rescue, she was riding a sightseeing vehicle past the accident site when she suddenly noticed a man and a woman floating on the water below the bridge. She immediately shouted, “Something’s wrong, everyone come help!” She and other tourists then got off the vehicle and worked together to pull a man up onto the bridge.

The rescued man appeared panicked and tried to take off his wet clothes. Someone kindly reminded him not to do so due to the cold temperature. The person filming and other tourists repeatedly shouted, “Is anyone a good swimmer? Please help save them!”

An elderly woman was pulled onto the floating bridge by tourists. Sitting panicked on the bridge, her expression showed utter helplessness and fear—perhaps she was terrified by the sudden disaster, or perhaps she had not yet processed what had happened.

The elderly woman, with grey hair, was rescued onto the floating bridge. In her panic, she kept bowing to the tourists on the bridge while repeatedly saying, “Please, there are still 5 people.”

Victim Information

It is understood that there were 8 people in the vehicle that fell into the river, all from Changzhi, Shanxi, traveling on a self-driving trip. The deceased included 3 women and 2 men, all aged between 50 and 55 years old, with no shared surnames.

Information on the Viral Floating Bridge

Public online information shows that the viral floating bridge in question is located at Shiziguan Scenic Area in Xuan'en County, Enshi City, Hubei Province, also known as the "Bridge of Dreams." The water-floating bridge is 400 meters long and 4.5 meters wide, capable of accommodating 10,000 people walking on it simultaneously, and has been praised by netizens as the “most beautiful water highway.”

Private cars can drive directly onto the floating bridge. When a vehicle passes, the bridge fluctuates up and down, creating ripples on the water surface, making it feel as if the car is floating on water—offering a refreshing experience and thus becoming a popular spot for many self-driving enthusiasts.

Media Interview Review

Shortly before the accident, a scenic area staff member was interviewed by a media reporter. He said that since the floating bridge began operating in 2016, there had never been any accidents. “When the floating bridge first opened, there were speed limits on both sides, capped at 20 km/h, and nothing like this had ever happened,” he explained. The bridge uses German technology designed to prevent rollovers, allows one-way traffic only, and permits vehicles weighing up to 2.8 tons to cross.