Janice R. Andrews
Renowned Chinese Scenic Waterfall Goes Viral After Video Seems to Show Water Emerging from PipMore attention than usual has been paid to a well-known waterfall in China after it was discovered in a video that the magnificent falls may be artificially fueled by a water pipe.
The 314-meter (1,030-foot) Yuntai Waterfall, which is part of Yuntai Mountain Park in north-central Henan province, has drawn attention when a video surfaced on Chinese social media this week that purports to show a pipe bringing water to the falls. The park’s website characterizes the waterfall as “like the Milky Way flying down.” The park is a popular tourist destination with a AAAAA classification, the highest awarded by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
But the recently surfaced footage has raised doubts about the falls’ genuine naturalness. In response to the footage, the management of Yuntai Mountain Park stated that modifications to the dry season called for the additional boost to the falls. The waterfall experienced “a tiny improvement during dry season,” they added, but “(The waterfall) cannot guarantee to meet the public in its most beautiful appearance due to seasonal changes.”
In addition to expressing gratitude for the attention, the park’s management promised that this summer, the waterfall will meet visitors in its “most perfect and most natural form.” While many Chinese people were surprised by the footage, other social media users praised the park’s reaction.
“I don’t think it counts as lying to the public, because the source of a waterfall is not what people came to see anyway,” said a Weibo user. A different user compared the circumstance to emphasizing a peacock’s splendor over its less beautiful features.
Yuntai is not the only Chinese waterfall in need of some additional support. The monsoon environment of the nation makes it difficult to maintain water flow throughout the dry seasons. Similar problems also beset the Huangguoshu Waterfall in the southwest region of Guizhou. The province declared that the construction of a dam in 2004 would “put an end to the history of Huangguoshu Waterfall drying up,” guaranteeing its uninterrupted flow.
The Yuntai Waterfall disclosure has spurred a broader conversation in China regarding the management and presentation of natural tourism sites, emphasizing the need to strike a balance between preserving the beauty of the environment and addressing pressing issues.
