A hiker has uncovered the dark secret of one of China’s most popular tourist attractions: Yuntai Waterfall actually originates from a pipe.
Yuntai Mountain Waterfall, known as China’s highest uninterrupted waterfall and one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions, has sparked a storm of outrage on social media. As the BBC reports, a hiker shared a video showing the 312-meter-high waterfall artificially pouring from a pipe set high in the cliff face. The video went viral, garnering over 70,000 likes since it was first posted on Monday.
“The hardships I endured to find the source of Yundai Waterfall, only to find a pipe,” reads the subtitle of the video. This sparked a trend under the keyword “The source of Yuntai Waterfall is just some pipes” – with over 14 million views on the Chinese platform Weibo and nearly 10 million on Douyin. The enormous public response even led to local government officials being sent to the park to investigate, the BBC reported.
As a result, according to the BBC, park operators were asked by state broadcaster CCTV to learn from the incident and inform visitors in advance of such “improvements” in the future. The park later posted on behalf of the waterfall: “I didn’t expect to encounter you all like this.” Yuntai Tourism Park operators admitted that they had made a “little beautification” during the dry season to make visitors feel their trip was worthwhile.
The waterfall, located in central Henan province in Yuntai Mountain Park, a UNESCO Global Geopark, is a popular destination for millions of visitors attracted by geological formations that are more than a billion years old. Park officials told CCTV that the water used for pumping is spring water and thus does not damage the natural landscape.
According to CNN, Yuntai Waterfall has the highest rating of AAAAA that the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism can give. The reactions on social media are all the more mixed. “How can it still be called the No. 1 waterfall now?” commented one user on Douyin. Others criticized the park’s procedures, saying they violated natural laws and insulted tourists.
Others were understanding. “Doesn’t this person have anything better to do?” read one comment on Douyin under the hiker’s video, which has been liked nearly 40,000 times. “I think it’s a good thing. Otherwise, people would be disappointed if they didn’t get to see anything,” said one Weibo user.
Heavy rain, high water, flooding – the storm has southern Germany firmly in its grip. The water levels have reached the heights of a once-in-a-century flood. Dams are breaking. Places are being evacuated. Read everything you need to know in the weather ticker.
In Dortmund, a 15-year-old girl was brutally beaten by a gang of girls. Now the mother is making serious accusations against the school for not protecting her daughter sufficiently. “This is not an isolated case; bullying and violence are bitter everyday occurrences for several thousand students,” warns violence prevention expert Carsten Stahl.