ENTRE News – A waterfall in China has sparked major controversy after a climber mistakenly thought it was a natural object. China’s Mount Yuntai Waterfall trended on social media this week after a climber posted a video from the top of a waterfall described as China’s highest unobstructed waterfall. The footage, posted to Chinese social media platform Douyin, shows a large metal pipe stuck at the top, funneling water up the cliff.
“I went to the source of Yuntai Waterfall just to see the water pipe after going through all the hardships,” said the climber in a video caption circulating on Douyin.
The climbers felt their climb was pointless after realizing that the waterfall was man-made, because it used a pipe, not a natural occurrence. Since being shared on Monday (3/6), the video has been liked more than 74,000 times. The Yuntai Falls pipe topic has been viewed 10 million times on Douyin and 14 million times on China’s largest social media platform, Weibo.
The BBC report said that after the fake Mount Yuntai Waterfall video went viral, Chinese government officials went to the Mount Yuntai Geopark FOR4D to investigate the incident. The operator of the Mount Yuntai Waterfall area said the pipe was a “minor improvement” made to prevent visitors from being disappointed when they come during the dry season.
“I didn’t expect to meet everyone in this way,” read the caption in a post by the operator of the Yuntai Mountain Waterfall area on social media.
“As a seasonal sight, I cannot guarantee that I will be in my most beautiful form every time you come to see me,” the post continued.
The area operator clarified that the water is spring water and does not harm the environment. Added pipes to make the waterfall look better. However, the person who posted the original video said they were disappointed to realize that the 321m high natural water was not natural. Mount Yuntai Waterfall FOR4D itself has been named the highest in China.
In his comments, one person admitted that the upstream was blocked so that water no longer flowed to the waterfall. Others recommended other, better waterfalls to see.
“The Mount Tiantai Waterfall here is even more magical,” one person wrote. “The most spectacular waterfall in China is only Huangguoshu Falls during the rainy season,” said another.
Chinese officials reportedly did not condemn the use of artificial pipes to fake the falls, but advised the area’s operators to be more candid about the modifications with visitors.
As a Unesco Global Geopark, Mount Yuntai Geopark in central Henan province attracts millions of visitors every year. Those who come want to see geological formations billions of years old. The waterfall in particular is a major tourist attraction at the Mount Yuntai Geopark.