HONG KONG — China’s tallest natural waterfall is causing controversy after a video was posted to social media showing water gushing from pipes embedded in a rock face.
At just over 1,000 feet high, the Yuntai Waterfall is considered the highest tourist attraction in China and is popular with tourists, many of whom get drenched in the mist while watching the cascading waters from a viewing platform near the base of the falls.
But after a hiker posted a video of the falls on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, operators of the Yuntai Mountain Geopark where the falls are located acknowledged they had made “minor improvements” to the site.
“To enrich the experience of our friends’ visit and ensure that those who travel from afar do not miss out, we have made some small improvements during the dry season so that you can better present yourself when meeting with your friends,” they said in a statement.
On Douyin, a video went viral showing a giant pipe coming out of a mountain and gushing water.
The hiker who posted the video wrote in a post that he had difficulty reaching the source of the waterfall, but when he arrived all he found was a pipe.
The video was shared thousands of times, mainly on China’s largest microblogging site Weibo, with users expressing understanding for the decision to keep the water running.
“If you’re making the effort for me, that’s enough for me,” one user wrote, while another added, “It’s amazing to see the spectacular falls even in the dry season.”
“I understand,” one person said. “In fact, many scenic spots do this in the dry season. Otherwise, without water, you would feel it’s not worth visiting.”
Others were a little less forgiving.
“They’re so used to making things up,” one user wrote, while others pointed out that the park was scamming tourists to make an unfair profit.
Article 48 of the Tourism Law of the People’s Republic of China stipulates that “Websites that publish information related to tourism businesses must ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the information.”
The pipe had not been mentioned on the park’s website or social media accounts until the hiker posted the video. The park attracted more than 7 million visitors last year, according to the culture and tourism bureau of the eastern province of Henan, where the park is located.
But there are other man-made waterfalls in China, including one in Mount Tiantai in eastern Zhejiang province known for “leaving work on time.”
Due to the construction of a reservoir, the waterfall had dried up for 60 years, but was transformed into a waterfall in 2013, and now water flows at set times each day.
