Mountain roads are usually tougher to navigate for motorists, because of winding curves, high gradient and poorer visibility, but the Daobeiliang Sky Road in Shizu, China, is considered extreme even among the most dangerous mountain roads. Although it measures only about 3 kilometers (under 2 miles) in length, some sections are barely wide enough to pass on, with a vertical drop of 600 meters on both sides.
Daobeiliang (Chinese for “back of a knife blade”) was built by Wind Energy Group, a renewable energy company, in order to reach the wind turbines it installed on the edge of Qiyao Mountain. But even though it retains its original function, the so-called Sky Road has become popular among daredevils wanting to test their driving skills or simply take in the breathtaking views.
Driving on the Daobeiliang Sky Road feels like navigating a giant knife-edge, with abysses on either side. It has an average width of 5.5 meters, with some sections as narrow as 3 meters, only enough for one vehicle to pass at a time.
Although not as tough as Babyurt, the world’s most dangerous road, Daobeiliang Sky Road is sure to get your adrenaline going, even just seeing others driving on it in the dozens of viral videos doing the rounds on social media.
Interestingly, this is just one of the many infrastructural marvels of China. For more, take a look at this mountain-top highway, or Yongwu Road, China’s beautiful flooded road.
