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.

    • @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.