Does China’s Tallest Waterfall Get Water From A Pipe? Authorities Respond To Viral Video

The Yuntai Waterfall, one of the top natural attractions in China, is under scrutiny. A video showed the waterfall being supported by pipes. The undated clip taken by a tourist showed a massive pipe at the top of the waterfall supplying water. That means the abundant stream of water was artificial. The pipe is almost buried within the waterfall. This video, taken via a drone, was first shared on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. It soon began circulating across social media platforms.

In response to the above-mentioned video, the park officials were forced to address the issue. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the officials admitted that the waterfall was supported by pipes during the “dry” season. They agreed to make a “small enhancement” to supply the waterfall when there is a lack of rain and the waterfall dries up or has a low volume of water. This is done so that the tourists, many of whom travel from across the country, are not disappointed by seeing a weak waterfall.

A Yuntai Geo Park’s management staff told CNN, “The waterfall cannot guarantee to meet the public in its most beautiful appearance due to season changes.” Additionally, the park’s management added the waterfall would return to its “most perfect and most natural form” in summer.

The reactions to the video and the subsequent official response have been divided. Some people think that the park officials did nothing wrong as they were just catering to the tourists. Others argue that modifying natural attractions is misleading.

Expressing the former sentiment, an X user commented on the video, “Why should anyone care that it’s coming out of a pipe? It still looks beautiful to me.”

Sharing an opposite opinion, another person wrote, “A man-made waterfall! It is certainly No. 1– in deceiving people that it’s of natural origin. Shameful.”

Someone else wrote, “This reminds me of my friend loudly saying how nice it was to have a “natural river” in the Olympic Park in Beijing, only to be told by a passing park cleaner that the “river” was only turned on at weekends.”

This waterfall has a fall of 314 metres (1,030 ft), which makes it the tallest waterfall in China. It is located within the Yuntai Geo Park scenic area. The park has an AAAAA rating, the highest rating given to a tourist attraction by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.