A hiker posted a video showing the water flow of the fall was coming from a pipe built into the rock face.

A controversy over a waterfall has cascaded into a social media storm in China, even prompting an explanation from the water body itself.

A hiker posted a video that showed the flow of water from Yuntai Mountain Waterfall - billed as China’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall - was coming from a pipe built high into the rock face.

The clip has been liked more than 70,000 times since it was first posted on Monday. Operators of the Yuntai tourism park said that they made the “small enhancement” during the dry season so visitors would feel that their trip had been worthwhile.

“The one about how I went through all the hardship to the source of Yuntai Waterfall only to see a pipe,” the caption of the video posted by user “Farisvov” reads.

  • Flying SquidMEnglish
    26•7 months ago

    I went to Niagara Falls last year and I was disappointed to find out that they could control the flow or even stop the flow of water going down the falls and sometimes did so in winter. But they also didn’t make a secret of it.

    • @Agent641English
      5•7 months ago

      They turned it off once to clear rubble underneath it so it looked more spectacular.

      • @AdalastEnglish
        31•7 months ago

        Only if you ignore WHY it has the ability to do that. The reason is the hydroelectric power plant, or more specifically the construction of the plant, required that they divert the falls for a couple years a LONG time ago. They have maintained the capacity to divert the flow of the river to ensure that they are able to perform maintenance on the plant and the various national park infrastructures around the falls. The seasonal diversions are usually to perform said maintenance as well as to protect parts of the power plant from freezing. It is actually one of the great engineering marvals of the early 20th century.

        • @TilgareEnglish
          6•7 months ago

          Thanks for the context - that’s fascinating.

        • @[email protected]English
          2•7 months ago

          Ya thanks for the interesting POV. I’ll try to look at it from that angle when I finally make it out over there.

      • Flying SquidMEnglish
        10•7 months ago

        It is, but they’re still really beautiful. The area is a big tourist trap, but the falls themselves are worth it.

        • @[email protected]English
          2•7 months ago

          I’d definitely still love to see it one day. And now at least that won’t catch me off guard lol.

        • @[email protected]English
          4•7 months ago

          It’s hard to describe why, but you visit that kind of place to see the wonders of nature and all that. Still, I’ll keep in mind that other person’s comment about the great feat of engineering it required.

          • Jojo, Lady of the WestEnglish
            2•7 months ago

            Not even that it took a lot of work to make diversion possible, but also that what you’re seeing is, if anything, a slightly reduced version of the original, natural falls. The same river is going over the same spot it did originally, there is just infrastructure now that allows it to go elsewhere when the hydro dam that is also on the river needs maintenance.

      • Flying SquidMEnglish
        3•7 months ago

        Because you think you’re seeing a purely natural wonder but it turns out to be at least somewhat orchestrated.

        It doesn’t take away the beauty of what you’re looking at, but it does take away some of the feeling behind that beauty if that makes sense.

        • @[email protected]English
          3•7 months ago

          Because you think you’re seeing a purely natural wonder but it turns out to be at least somewhat orchestrated.

          I mean, it is still a natural wonder, same as it was.

          All we did was make it so we can move the water to one side so we can take a look / work on maintaining the natural wonder, it’s not like we dug out the channels and created those 3 waterfalls

          The beauty of something shouldn’t be affected at all by the insanely hardcore engineering it takes to maintain said beauty. If it does for you I’d recommend therapy cuz literally every natural wonder will be ruined for you if that’s the case cuz they all get maintained

          • Flying SquidMEnglish
            2•7 months ago

            Dude, you asked me why and I told you why. I’m sorry you don’t care for why I was mildly disappointed but that was still I was mildly disappointed.

            Suggesting I need therapy for that is just rude and unnecessary.

        • @[email protected]English
          1•7 months ago

          How is it orchestrated? What you see is what nature did. The water can be controlled somewhat because of engineering but it doesn’t change the features of the fall as nature made it

          I’m not arguing against you, just not getting your perspective (which I’m just trying to understand)

          • Flying SquidMEnglish
            1•7 months ago

            If you can turn off the falls whenever you want, I’d call that orchestrated.

            • @[email protected]English
              1•7 months ago

              I mean, they put lights on with colours at night… And there is a whole boulevard built around them so you can see them better

              Would you call that orchestrated?