Chinese park officials have admitted to adding a “small enhancement” to the country’s tallest waterfall after a hiker’s viral video revealed that the 1,000-foot-high cascade is actually fed by a large pipe hidden in the rock face.
The video, posted by a user named “Farisvov,” shows the pipe supplying water to the Yuntai Waterfall. The post, captioned sarcastically, “The one about how I went through all the hardship to the source of Yuntai Waterfall only to see a pipe,” has gained tens of millions of views on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and Douyin.
In response, officials from Yuntai Mountain Geopark posted on social media, adopting the persona of the waterfall. “I didn’t expect to meet everyone this way,” they wrote. They explained that as a seasonal waterfall, it cannot always be in its most beautiful form. The enhancements were made to ensure that the UNESCO Global Geopark’s millions of annual visitors would not be disappointed.
The revelation has sparked a debate on Chinese social media. Some users support the enhancements, arguing that visitors would be disappointed if there was no water. Others criticize the park for not respecting nature and tourists, questioning whether it should still be considered the country’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall.
This is not the first time China has modified waterfalls to please tourists. Since 2006, Huangguoshu Waterfall has been artificially boosted with water diverted from a nearby dam.
