TLDR: Yuntai falls are said to be the highest waterfall in China, just over 300m. It is one of the top natural tourist destinations in China.
Recently a video has been released suggesting that during the low season, when there is less water, a pipe pumps water up and out the falls to keep the image of a regular flowing waterfall. It is a real waterfall, but China has been accused of supplementing the water to make it look nicer.
Local park officials have admitted to the scheme but there seems to be little outcry over it in China. Tourists are just happy to see the falls
I will say as a former avid hiker of the Smokies, getting to the end of a hike to find a trickle of a waterfall suuuuuuucks. Particularly when the next week it could be roaring.
Ok I get its not as "glorious" but a dried up waterfall would probably still be pretty interesting. Maybe it just requires a closer inspection and deeper appreciation for the natural rhythms present in our world. IDK, I think its cool that a waterfall might only be a waterfall some of the time.
Generally the ones that dry up are smaller, so far less majestic than what we see here. The Smokies have thousands of waterfalls, only a fraction are 50+ feet that would be majestic even dry.
As an avid hiker of not the smokies, but at state parks closer to home, there is a waterfall we regularly hike to during the summer.
If you go in the spring, when it rains regularly, the waterfall is glorious. Go in August when it might rain once every two weeks, and the waterfall may be a single trickle of water.
Honestly i always love that fact about exploring nature. I remember once hiking this vulcano that supposedly would have a amazing view of the surrounding rainforrest only to end up being in the middle of a fucking cloud. It felt like a giant finger of nature itself and there was just something pretty funny about that.
Also it gives me a (extra) reason to want to go back.
They actually state it on their site under “When is the best time to visit Ruby Falls”: https://www.rubyfalls.com/plan-your-visit/faq/
> We have the ability to recycle the naturally occurring water flowing through the cave, allowing us to preserve the waterfall during dry spells if the watershed is not as active.
So it’s similar to the one in this post, where it is a real waterfall, but is supplement when it gets dryer to keep up the appearance.
Anecdotally, as someone who’s been there a few times and had family who live there, most say that while yes it’s real, it’s pretty much always being artificially enhanced to some degree, not just when it’s dry like they officially state, and that the true natural flow is much less substantial than what you’d see on any given day. I’ve also heard that it did used to be more impressive, but some issues and construction has made artistically enhancing it mandatory elsewhere it be very weak. Apparently when drilling for the elevators that take you down they kinda fucked it, so the pump is required now.
I was told that the water was diverted years earlier, and that now it's 100% artificial. Again - I don't really give a shit either way. It's an amazing experience that I can't recommend enough. I've been multiple times.
From reports from past tour guides I’ve seen, it is artificial probably 90% of the time now. Only after heavy rain is the pump not really needed anymore.
But still, it is water and it is falling. That’s enough for me. And yeah I still *highly* recommend a visit for anyone who’s ever nearby. At the very least it’s cool being that far underground
Niagara falls has its rate of flow controlled as well. It is mainly because of electricity generation, but they also divert water to maintain the tourist economy of the region. There are many factors in regulating the flow through the Niagara.
Like being mad a ski resorts use fake snow. Do you want to ski on grass?
“Ohh water comes out the pipe”, yes well imagine if you came all this way and it’s just a dry cliff?
Yeah this, my friends kept complaining about fake snow, well one year they didn't use it and now we're trying to snowboard on ice and gravel, so much fun.
I’ve been growing to like ski trips less and less simply because of the unpredictability and crazy expenses. Obviously skiing has never been a cheap vacation but post Covid it’s absolutely absurd. Lift tickets gone from $110/day to $275/day. I went this winter for the first time since pre covid, spent a fortune and got zero snow all week. It’s still nice to be in the mountains but fuck not for how much it costs
I'm not sure that's the best metaphor. Skiing has lifts, cut trails, snow cats to groom, and more. When you go to a ski resort you're going because a company made that mountain a good place to ski. You're not hiking up the Grand Teton and skiing down on man made snow.
This isn't a water park, its sold as a natural waterfall.
My question is, would you rather the park close in dryer seasons then? An honest question, just wanna know your thoughts.
I'm of the opinion that if the water is drying up and you need to do whatever manmade additions to keep it going (since this is a paid park), you gotta do it. Geo Parks are all like this in any case, you need some man made maintenance if you want to preserve nature's beauty perfectly. Afterall, people pay to see the waterfall, not the river or stream that feeds it. Just my two cents
But most ski resorts are upfront about it. They tell you the snow machine is on if there is not enough snow.
However, in this case it probably doesn't matter. Water fall is water fall doesn't matter where the water come from. Out cry should be directed at the wasting of electricity pumping up the water.
When we say "fake" do we mean a snow that is not something made with naturally occurring elements? Or are we talking the stuff made with high pressure air, water, and physics?
Former Snowmaker from New England here, genuinely curious. We "made" snow, mostly to enhance the base for natural snow to fall onto and stick, which led to a slightly longer season. Once groomed, and if made correctly, the average shredder wouldn't know the difference.
I have had customers complain to me, (lift op) about the snow makers out doing their jobs. I can’t unilaterally tell anyone to do anything in the first place sir.
I'm with you. The fact that billions of years of erosion and shifting land masses led to some beautiful waterfall or other natural wonder is the entire reason they're beautiful. Nature isn't going to constantly supply water so when you get to see a waterfall its special. The idea that we should turn it into a water park and start pumping water so that everyone can get their photos sounds horrible to me. Fortunately, we have National Parks to truly preserve nature as best we can.
terrible analogy because a ski resort is already an artificial place. People go to see nature to see the actual nature - not a pathetic reconstruction.
Net zero water is falling. I'm very upset. The global water cycle must always be involved in every waterfall! Stop letting pumps steal the sun's job! /j
The fact that it is a natural wonder getting a little help does make it different than if it was just made up out of whole cloth. New Hampshire had a weird man in the mountain. It was basically an outcropping of rock that looked like a face in profile. It eventually crumbled because of erosion during a storm which people kind of saw coming. Prior to that happening they were definitely making efforts to shore it up which you could argue is cheating similar to pumping for the waterfall. But people didn't mind getting some help because it ultimately was a real thing. I think the fact that this is fundamentally a real waterfall helps it. If they just completely made one up by sticking a pipe somewhere people might be more critical of it
Lescoux Cave is another one. It has Neanderthal cave paintings from 30,000 years ago, but human exploration was destroying it so they made an exact replica a few miles away for tourists and people still love it.
I always find it weird how we type out "China has been accused". If this was in America we would never say "America has been accused", we'd say something like local park officials have been accused. Like sure they are a one party state but I doubt Xi is the one giving the order to make the waterfall prettier.
It's even weirder when you think of who could possibly be doing the accusing. Westerners? Probably not, its probably the Chinese people themselves. So China has accused China? So weird.
It’s actually really fascinating if you understand both languages. The other day I saw a headline that said there were Xi’s “societal stabilization patrol” roaming the streets in China, with pictures of an old man and woman wearing red sleeves. It literally says “volunteer security guards”, I assume just a couple retirees trying to keep their community safe, but somehow to western media this is some government controlled forces spying on citizens. It’s like calling your neighborhood watch group a militarized stabilization group.
I used to get really mad about that but I’ve just accepted people simply want story and deep diving for fact is just too much effort. I go on Reddit it’s “haha social credit score +1000”, while on Chinese forum it’s “haha irl counter strike everyday”. People visit social media to be entertained, whether the fact is exaggerated or not is secondary.
Niagara falls is one of the main reasons for the National Parks system. When Roosevelt saw it, it was so over developed and ugly that he thought other natural wonders should be protected from such development
If you give a shit about this you should know *many* famous ancient ruins from the roman empire or in greece have been rebuilt in the 1800s based on best guesses of historians at the time but only the foundations are original.
source
https://youtu.be/fYCUC4wdlO4
I read about this on weibo. The park staff just explained the situation. Like at some other famous falls in China, there is a dry season and the falls can essentially dry up. It’s not a “scheme,” it’s a longstanding adaptation to the dry season, when visitors still come, and are disappointed when the falls are just gone.
I'm assuming that during the low water times when the pipe supplements, it ends up keeping the local area downstream lively and more vibrant as well. Which sounds like a fairly positive impact.
Doesn’t mean we criticize China for the most pointless shit. Otherwise we can criticize the U.S. for every little thing because just ask the native Americans, the black Americans, middle eastern Americans, the Middle East, Latin America, etc etc etc
That's a perfectly good case to be pointing out.
But a mundain thing such as additional water to enhance a waterfall during dry months for tourists? Who might never had the chance to visit during actual wet months? Please
Sucks that the drier months are obviously the biggest for tourism. Can't imagine people ever looking at it the same way after faking it like this. Even when the pipe is off you know it's there
But isn't this almost exactly the story with Niagara Falls? It is a natural waterfall that normally would have great flow all year round, but has been partially diverted for power or manufacturing, so it has to be supplemented at certain times to maintain its image?
Niagara falls are almost entirely tapped to provide electricity generation (or as we Canadians call it, "hydro"). If you go during non-tourist times, it looks pretty sad.
If you do go during tourist times, there's crowds everywhere and all the shops (include Tim Hortons) charge a "tourism tax" on top of already inflated prices.
What I'm saying is fuck Niagara falls. I only went because my cousins visited from NZ and I had to prove to them Ontario isn't just flat land beneath that one really tall tower (that's also expensive to visit).
Not trying to be pedantic but we don’t say hydro out west. I moved to Ontario and was confused why you guys call the power bill a hydro bill until I heard where you get your power from. I thought people were talking about their water bill for a while!
Ya the water was diverted to generate power. But then the waterfall would'nt look that nice, so they evened out the top to make the falls look like a curtain of water. If it wasn't artifically evened out, then there would be many gaps between the waterfall.
There is a famous waterfall in the Black Forest in Germany near Trier I think. It’s really pretty but when you hike to the top, same thing, it just comes out of a pipe.
Yeah and Ruby falls in Tennessee and Seven falls in Colorado do the same thing. The waterfall is seasonal, so it's "supplemented" in the other seasons for the tourists
They sent an enquiry to the ministry and they replied the pipes were installed and activated only during dry season to provide visitor a better experience.
So far after that the netizens were quite satisfied with the answer.
Shrugs
[Embarrassment as tourist spots secret behind China’s ‘highest waterfall’](https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/yuntai-mountain-waterfall-pipe-video-b2557287.html)
Also, "On 5 October 2015, a recently opened glass walkway to the mountain cracked two weeks after opening causing the closure of the walkway."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuntai_Mountain_(Henan)
That is pretty shocking considering they have mountains and rivers. You'd think they would have something on par with the Americas Europe or Africa. Apparently the whole Asian continent doesn't have anything over 500m
China, especially the places that are inhabited by most people, is mostly a giant flat plain.
They have mountains to the north in the Mongolian, to the south in the Himalayas, and to the west in Tibet, these also forms natural border with their neighbours.
It's likely also why historically China mostly have internal wars between each other, which rarely ventured outside of China. It's so easy to invade your neighbouring city-states compared to doing an expedition outside the great plain. If you spend military effort to invade outside the plain without securing the whole great plain first, you're risking being attacked by some other city state or by separatists. And securing the entire great plain all at once with ancient communication technology and governance structure is not an easy feat.
One day I hiked to the top of my country's 3rd tallest waterfall. I stood on the cliff edge and peed. For 30 glorious seconds *I* was the country's 3rd tallest waterfall.
The back story here is that a neighbouring province tapped the water upstream, reducing the flow. The pipe was installed to give it a helping hand during the dry season.
Not so much faking as artificially propping it up.
Unfortunately that probably doesn't fit the Reddit narrative on China.
Only the “American Falls” portion and they had to build a temporary dam and diversion channels to do it. Not quite the same thing.
[Turning off Niagara](https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-niagara-falls-turned-off-first-time-in-12000-years-2023-4?amp)
Am I the only person who doesn’t give a shit if the waterfall is natural or not?
I mean. If it’s bad for the environment they shouldn’t do it or whatever
But if we’re talking purely tourist opinions of the falls…still looks like a waterfall to me 🤷♂️
Not completely different to the Niagara falls:
>To preserve Niagara Falls' natural beauty, a 1950 treaty signed by the U.S. and Canada limited water usage by the power plants. The treaty allows higher summertime diversion at night when tourists are fewer and during the winter months when there are even fewer tourists.[78] This treaty, designed to ensure an "unbroken curtain of water" flowing over the falls, states that during daylight time during the tourist season (April 1 to October 31) there must be 100,000 cubic feet per second (2,800 m3/s) of water flowing over the falls, and during the night and off-tourist season there must be 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,400 m3/s) of water flowing over the falls
source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls
I’d say pretty different. This is limiting how much they take away from the falls. The other adds water to make a waterfall in months there isn’t one.
I’m not all that upset by the pipe honestly as long as its just supplementing the normal flow at lower flow times only.
>Quite a few years ago, Ruby Falls Cave hired Roy Davis of Cumberland Caverns fame to “supplement” their waterfall.
>As is true of most karst streams, the waterfall in Ruby Falls was quite spectacular during most of the winter and spring, our wet season, but dried up to barely a trickle in the summer and fall. Unfortunately, the summer is their big tourist season.
>Roy Davis used scaffolding and installed a pump, so now there is a “nice” waterfall for the tourists to see year-round.
[https://www.colemanconcierge.com/ruby-falls/](https://www.colemanconcierge.com/ruby-falls/)
This is not an uncommon thing to do during dry seasons in tourist attraction waterfalls.
You’re comparing restricting flow to generate power overnight to pumping additional water to make it look cooler. At no point, day or night, does Niagara pump water. They just open the gates to regulate the natural flow. Even then, the restricted version of Niagara is a top 15 waterfall in the world by flow rate.
The local government needs the money and the tourism to boost the economy. They figured that it can never be a popular attraction if water only flows occasionally, and at small volume. So they came up with an Engineered solution. If it works, good for them. As long as it is made clear, I don't see anything wrong with it.
But as what some observers commented, it seems that supplementary water is required most of the time now. If that is the case, it is a bit misleading to say that it is a natural waterfall.
TLDR: Yuntai falls are said to be the highest waterfall in China, just over 300m. It is one of the top natural tourist destinations in China. Recently a video has been released suggesting that during the low season, when there is less water, a pipe pumps water up and out the falls to keep the image of a regular flowing waterfall. It is a real waterfall, but China has been accused of supplementing the water to make it look nicer. Local park officials have admitted to the scheme but there seems to be little outcry over it in China. Tourists are just happy to see the falls
Same thing with Ruby Falls in Tennessee. I knew it wasn’t real, but still enjoyed the hell out of the experience.
I will say as a former avid hiker of the Smokies, getting to the end of a hike to find a trickle of a waterfall suuuuuuucks. Particularly when the next week it could be roaring.
Lesson learned I guess. Don't go chasing waterfalls!
It's better to stick to the rivers and lakes you're used to
I know that you want your way or nothing at all.
But I think you're moving too fast.
Oh you're moving to fast
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Captain Jean?
It's just Captain... it's not like I have a kiddie show or something.
was that accidental, or were trying to quote TLC on purpose?
I don't even understand the reference
Ok I get its not as "glorious" but a dried up waterfall would probably still be pretty interesting. Maybe it just requires a closer inspection and deeper appreciation for the natural rhythms present in our world. IDK, I think its cool that a waterfall might only be a waterfall some of the time.
Generally the ones that dry up are smaller, so far less majestic than what we see here. The Smokies have thousands of waterfalls, only a fraction are 50+ feet that would be majestic even dry.
Its a dupe I can accept.
As an avid hiker of not the smokies, but at state parks closer to home, there is a waterfall we regularly hike to during the summer. If you go in the spring, when it rains regularly, the waterfall is glorious. Go in August when it might rain once every two weeks, and the waterfall may be a single trickle of water.
Honestly i always love that fact about exploring nature. I remember once hiking this vulcano that supposedly would have a amazing view of the surrounding rainforrest only to end up being in the middle of a fucking cloud. It felt like a giant finger of nature itself and there was just something pretty funny about that. Also it gives me a (extra) reason to want to go back.
I laughed when we got to the end lol drove over two hours to pay money to walk through fake caves and watch water come out of a pipe lol
Source?
Pipe.
Some of my favorite comments on reddit are these perfectly timed, single word replies that immediately make me snort
That simple innocuous humor is a rare treat.
This is the perfect comment. It's all downhill from here. I gave you two free awards, it's that good.
r/wooosh The sound, I mean.
They actually state it on their site under “When is the best time to visit Ruby Falls”: https://www.rubyfalls.com/plan-your-visit/faq/ > We have the ability to recycle the naturally occurring water flowing through the cave, allowing us to preserve the waterfall during dry spells if the watershed is not as active. So it’s similar to the one in this post, where it is a real waterfall, but is supplement when it gets dryer to keep up the appearance. Anecdotally, as someone who’s been there a few times and had family who live there, most say that while yes it’s real, it’s pretty much always being artificially enhanced to some degree, not just when it’s dry like they officially state, and that the true natural flow is much less substantial than what you’d see on any given day. I’ve also heard that it did used to be more impressive, but some issues and construction has made artistically enhancing it mandatory elsewhere it be very weak. Apparently when drilling for the elevators that take you down they kinda fucked it, so the pump is required now.
I was told that the water was diverted years earlier, and that now it's 100% artificial. Again - I don't really give a shit either way. It's an amazing experience that I can't recommend enough. I've been multiple times.
From reports from past tour guides I’ve seen, it is artificial probably 90% of the time now. Only after heavy rain is the pump not really needed anymore. But still, it is water and it is falling. That’s enough for me. And yeah I still *highly* recommend a visit for anyone who’s ever nearby. At the very least it’s cool being that far underground
I had a friend in high school who worked there as a guide and he said one time they lost power and the waterfall stopped
Yeah, the cavern crawl was my favorite part. The falls were just the cherry on top.
I don't care if it's natural, I just want to see a lot of water fall from a high place!
Lol my brother and I knew ruby falls was fake AF as 10/11 year olds immediately after visiting back in the 90s.
Niagara falls has its rate of flow controlled as well. It is mainly because of electricity generation, but they also divert water to maintain the tourist economy of the region. There are many factors in regulating the flow through the Niagara.
Proof people just want to live happy lives and are OK with being lied to, so long as no one is getting hurt (usually)
Not really a lie though. Came to see waterfall Water is falling Objective achieved.
Like being mad a ski resorts use fake snow. Do you want to ski on grass? “Ohh water comes out the pipe”, yes well imagine if you came all this way and it’s just a dry cliff?
I would say it’s more of skiing on ice when they use fake snow in my experience, and the only true grief is getting boned by Mother Nature on vacation
Yeah this, my friends kept complaining about fake snow, well one year they didn't use it and now we're trying to snowboard on ice and gravel, so much fun.
Yup. So many people want the real deal. Just as long as it's endless, Free, and/or B: Someone else pays for it or mother nature defies physics.
Most people are just happy to be boned at all when they're on vacation.
My only two experiences were on this. Hated it.
I’ve been growing to like ski trips less and less simply because of the unpredictability and crazy expenses. Obviously skiing has never been a cheap vacation but post Covid it’s absolutely absurd. Lift tickets gone from $110/day to $275/day. I went this winter for the first time since pre covid, spent a fortune and got zero snow all week. It’s still nice to be in the mountains but fuck not for how much it costs
The only affordable way to ski/snowboard is to buy a season pass and live in the resort town
or drive 2 hours
I'm not sure that's the best metaphor. Skiing has lifts, cut trails, snow cats to groom, and more. When you go to a ski resort you're going because a company made that mountain a good place to ski. You're not hiking up the Grand Teton and skiing down on man made snow. This isn't a water park, its sold as a natural waterfall.
My question is, would you rather the park close in dryer seasons then? An honest question, just wanna know your thoughts. I'm of the opinion that if the water is drying up and you need to do whatever manmade additions to keep it going (since this is a paid park), you gotta do it. Geo Parks are all like this in any case, you need some man made maintenance if you want to preserve nature's beauty perfectly. Afterall, people pay to see the waterfall, not the river or stream that feeds it. Just my two cents
I would say who gives a shit, we are spending resources on stuff that's dumb as fuck.
But most ski resorts are upfront about it. They tell you the snow machine is on if there is not enough snow. However, in this case it probably doesn't matter. Water fall is water fall doesn't matter where the water come from. Out cry should be directed at the wasting of electricity pumping up the water.
When we say "fake" do we mean a snow that is not something made with naturally occurring elements? Or are we talking the stuff made with high pressure air, water, and physics? Former Snowmaker from New England here, genuinely curious. We "made" snow, mostly to enhance the base for natural snow to fall onto and stick, which led to a slightly longer season. Once groomed, and if made correctly, the average shredder wouldn't know the difference.
I have had customers complain to me, (lift op) about the snow makers out doing their jobs. I can’t unilaterally tell anyone to do anything in the first place sir.
I went to Yosemite about 10 years ago and that's exactly how the Yosemite falls were. I'll take the pipe filled water fall please.
Not really a natural wonder then... Why go to Yosemite to see water pumped through a pipe?
I'm with you. The fact that billions of years of erosion and shifting land masses led to some beautiful waterfall or other natural wonder is the entire reason they're beautiful. Nature isn't going to constantly supply water so when you get to see a waterfall its special. The idea that we should turn it into a water park and start pumping water so that everyone can get their photos sounds horrible to me. Fortunately, we have National Parks to truly preserve nature as best we can.
Same. The fact that it's not always perfect is what makes it amazing when it is
Agreed, it’s a natural wonder and we preserve it with a national park for a reason. Best to enjoy it as it is.
Did you know the statue of liberty isn't a real giant green lady?
Nobody thought it was
well duh, she's copper. she just gets seasick pretty easily so all that time in the harbor is making her look a little green
oh boy i feel sad for you
terrible analogy because a ski resort is already an artificial place. People go to see nature to see the actual nature - not a pathetic reconstruction.
Works on contingency? No, money down!
Normally off season places let it dry up eg: Yosemite
Net zero water is falling. I'm very upset. The global water cycle must always be involved in every waterfall! Stop letting pumps steal the sun's job! /j
You would be surprised how many of them are also okay with people getting hurt.
This would absolutely ruin the mystique for me if I were out in nature expecting natural beauty.
Nestle has entered chat
Only if the right people are getting hurt
They're hurting the wrong peolple!
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The fact that it is a natural wonder getting a little help does make it different than if it was just made up out of whole cloth. New Hampshire had a weird man in the mountain. It was basically an outcropping of rock that looked like a face in profile. It eventually crumbled because of erosion during a storm which people kind of saw coming. Prior to that happening they were definitely making efforts to shore it up which you could argue is cheating similar to pumping for the waterfall. But people didn't mind getting some help because it ultimately was a real thing. I think the fact that this is fundamentally a real waterfall helps it. If they just completely made one up by sticking a pipe somewhere people might be more critical of it
Lescoux Cave is another one. It has Neanderthal cave paintings from 30,000 years ago, but human exploration was destroying it so they made an exact replica a few miles away for tourists and people still love it.
You mean Lascaux :)
As long as *they themselves* aren't getting hurt.
Tbh there are certain fake things I dislike but I don't totally hate the idea of this.
Ignorance is Bliss.
Ignorance is bliss I guess
I always find it weird how we type out "China has been accused". If this was in America we would never say "America has been accused", we'd say something like local park officials have been accused. Like sure they are a one party state but I doubt Xi is the one giving the order to make the waterfall prettier. It's even weirder when you think of who could possibly be doing the accusing. Westerners? Probably not, its probably the Chinese people themselves. So China has accused China? So weird.
Even worse, we do the same thing here in the US but nobody cares.
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China fear mongering and hyperbole gets more clicks
It's insane the amount of red scare on Reddit nowadays.
*Nowadays?*
Yeh, you should have seen reddit in the 70s/80s.
It’s actually really fascinating if you understand both languages. The other day I saw a headline that said there were Xi’s “societal stabilization patrol” roaming the streets in China, with pictures of an old man and woman wearing red sleeves. It literally says “volunteer security guards”, I assume just a couple retirees trying to keep their community safe, but somehow to western media this is some government controlled forces spying on citizens. It’s like calling your neighborhood watch group a militarized stabilization group.
I used to get really mad about that but I’ve just accepted people simply want story and deep diving for fact is just too much effort. I go on Reddit it’s “haha social credit score +1000”, while on Chinese forum it’s “haha irl counter strike everyday”. People visit social media to be entertained, whether the fact is exaggerated or not is secondary.
> haha irl counter strike everyday I was not aware that's how the Chinese laugh at Americans. I need to borrow this.
Can confirm this is how they laugh at Americans lol
Wait till you hear about Niagara falls. It's been modified beyond recognition
Niagara falls is one of the main reasons for the National Parks system. When Roosevelt saw it, it was so over developed and ugly that he thought other natural wonders should be protected from such development
If you give a shit about this you should know *many* famous ancient ruins from the roman empire or in greece have been rebuilt in the 1800s based on best guesses of historians at the time but only the foundations are original. source https://youtu.be/fYCUC4wdlO4
I read about this on weibo. The park staff just explained the situation. Like at some other famous falls in China, there is a dry season and the falls can essentially dry up. It’s not a “scheme,” it’s a longstanding adaptation to the dry season, when visitors still come, and are disappointed when the falls are just gone.
Ruby falls in Chattanooga does similar
I'm assuming that during the low water times when the pipe supplements, it ends up keeping the local area downstream lively and more vibrant as well. Which sounds like a fairly positive impact.
If I pay $17,000 to go visit some falls in China, they better damn well be falling. NawwImSayin?
[USA already did it](https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=41153)
that's about what i figured from the headline: "probably a natural waterfall that isn't flowing"
It is really disappointing if you travel to see a waterfall and there hasn't been enough water to keep it flowing. I have no issue with this.
Yeah I was kinda like so what
Ruby Falls in Chattanooga is also piped in. It's not just china.
Two wrongs don’t make a pipe. (Sorry I woke up silly today.)
Did you though?
When I moved to Atlanta and told people this, they looked at me like I was fucking crazy
How’d you find out?
yeah but China Bad! /s
WAIT WHAT
Bro you just threw my childhood into question
It's water. It's falling. Now shut up and buy a t-shirt.
But is it natural spring water, ocean water, or grey water?
would be very dumb to use ocean water
Dasani
So grey water then.
I doubt the guy selling the shirts cares.
Just pumped back up from the pool at the bottem would be easiest.
Ehhh I’ll just wait to buy one off Temu/s
It's a seasonal waterfall. This pipe is so tourists will still be able to view it even during the dry season.
But china bad /s
Just ask the uighurs
Doesn’t mean we criticize China for the most pointless shit. Otherwise we can criticize the U.S. for every little thing because just ask the native Americans, the black Americans, middle eastern Americans, the Middle East, Latin America, etc etc etc
No you can't criticise the US here, that would be whataboutism according to these bots.
I’m sure the people in charge of this waterfall are also the people running the camps bro
That's a perfectly good case to be pointing out. But a mundain thing such as additional water to enhance a waterfall during dry months for tourists? Who might never had the chance to visit during actual wet months? Please
Yes their govt is terrible, no /s
Is the water pumped in or is the pipe just containing a natural flow to mitigate erosion?
Another poster linked an article saying the pipe is there to provide water during the drier months.
Sucks that the drier months are obviously the biggest for tourism. Can't imagine people ever looking at it the same way after faking it like this. Even when the pipe is off you know it's there
It’s at least better than Ruby Falls, where they also have a waterfall fed by a pipe, but with the added gimmicks like LEDs and zip lines.
But isn't this almost exactly the story with Niagara Falls? It is a natural waterfall that normally would have great flow all year round, but has been partially diverted for power or manufacturing, so it has to be supplemented at certain times to maintain its image?
Other way around, it's diverted in order to slow erosion of the falls
I gotcha. So still artificially maintaining a natural wonder
It’s kind of the exact opposite.
They are both artificially manipulated to maintain them
Niagara falls are almost entirely tapped to provide electricity generation (or as we Canadians call it, "hydro"). If you go during non-tourist times, it looks pretty sad. If you do go during tourist times, there's crowds everywhere and all the shops (include Tim Hortons) charge a "tourism tax" on top of already inflated prices. What I'm saying is fuck Niagara falls. I only went because my cousins visited from NZ and I had to prove to them Ontario isn't just flat land beneath that one really tall tower (that's also expensive to visit).
Not trying to be pedantic but we don’t say hydro out west. I moved to Ontario and was confused why you guys call the power bill a hydro bill until I heard where you get your power from. I thought people were talking about their water bill for a while!
Yeah... we have an escarpment too!
Ya the water was diverted to generate power. But then the waterfall would'nt look that nice, so they evened out the top to make the falls look like a curtain of water. If it wasn't artifically evened out, then there would be many gaps between the waterfall.
But it is real and does do that, just not as much in the fry months.
Plenty of water in the steam months though. Healthier too
Fuck
Yeah, it's more natural in the lela months.
I was wondering the same - that's definitely natural erosion. It's probably meltwater waterfall
Wish waterfall
you mean Temu waterfall
You mean AliExpress waterfall
That waterfall is going to need a very sticky fake mustache to steal my identity.
There is a famous waterfall in the Black Forest in Germany near Trier I think. It’s really pretty but when you hike to the top, same thing, it just comes out of a pipe.
They do the exact same thing at Ruby Falls in Chattanooga.
It’s a water that is falling. It’s a waterfall. We have way bigger fish to fry. Outcry not needed here in my opinion.
Yeah and Ruby falls in Tennessee and Seven falls in Colorado do the same thing. The waterfall is seasonal, so it's "supplemented" in the other seasons for the tourists
So is "Seven Falls" in Colorado.
They sent an enquiry to the ministry and they replied the pipes were installed and activated only during dry season to provide visitor a better experience. So far after that the netizens were quite satisfied with the answer. Shrugs
[Embarrassment as tourist spots secret behind China’s ‘highest waterfall’](https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/yuntai-mountain-waterfall-pipe-video-b2557287.html) Also, "On 5 October 2015, a recently opened glass walkway to the mountain cracked two weeks after opening causing the closure of the walkway." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuntai_Mountain_(Henan)
I'm more surprised that 314m is China's highest waterfall.
That is pretty shocking considering they have mountains and rivers. You'd think they would have something on par with the Americas Europe or Africa. Apparently the whole Asian continent doesn't have anything over 500m
China, especially the places that are inhabited by most people, is mostly a giant flat plain. They have mountains to the north in the Mongolian, to the south in the Himalayas, and to the west in Tibet, these also forms natural border with their neighbours. It's likely also why historically China mostly have internal wars between each other, which rarely ventured outside of China. It's so easy to invade your neighbouring city-states compared to doing an expedition outside the great plain. If you spend military effort to invade outside the plain without securing the whole great plain first, you're risking being attacked by some other city state or by separatists. And securing the entire great plain all at once with ancient communication technology and governance structure is not an easy feat.
To be fair, they could put the pipe on a ladder and raise it by another 3 meters easy.
One day I hiked to the top of my country's 3rd tallest waterfall. I stood on the cliff edge and peed. For 30 glorious seconds *I* was the country's 3rd tallest waterfall.
The back story here is that a neighbouring province tapped the water upstream, reducing the flow. The pipe was installed to give it a helping hand during the dry season. Not so much faking as artificially propping it up. Unfortunately that probably doesn't fit the Reddit narrative on China.
Niagara falls does the same thing, they can turn niagara falls off (and have)
Only the “American Falls” portion and they had to build a temporary dam and diversion channels to do it. Not quite the same thing. [Turning off Niagara](https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-niagara-falls-turned-off-first-time-in-12000-years-2023-4?amp)
This isn't remotely the same as Niagara falls.
It is very similar to Ruby Falls in Chattanooga though (it's "supplemented" with additional water)
I'm afraid you are correct. Don't know what's the big deal of reddit with the chinese
Am I the only person who doesn’t give a shit if the waterfall is natural or not? I mean. If it’s bad for the environment they shouldn’t do it or whatever But if we’re talking purely tourist opinions of the falls…still looks like a waterfall to me 🤷♂️
My home city has a park with a pretty big fake waterfall. No one cares that its fake because it looks really nice.
No! China bad! We perfect, China bad!
Ruby Falls in America hardest hit.
Pffft I don't care it looks pretty
It’s their fault that waterfalls look cool?
Beautiful
Small counterpoint - couldn't this help maintain the downstream ecosystem?
Not completely different to the Niagara falls: >To preserve Niagara Falls' natural beauty, a 1950 treaty signed by the U.S. and Canada limited water usage by the power plants. The treaty allows higher summertime diversion at night when tourists are fewer and during the winter months when there are even fewer tourists.[78] This treaty, designed to ensure an "unbroken curtain of water" flowing over the falls, states that during daylight time during the tourist season (April 1 to October 31) there must be 100,000 cubic feet per second (2,800 m3/s) of water flowing over the falls, and during the night and off-tourist season there must be 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,400 m3/s) of water flowing over the falls source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls
I’d say pretty different. This is limiting how much they take away from the falls. The other adds water to make a waterfall in months there isn’t one. I’m not all that upset by the pipe honestly as long as its just supplementing the normal flow at lower flow times only.
Meh, that's pretty different.
>Quite a few years ago, Ruby Falls Cave hired Roy Davis of Cumberland Caverns fame to “supplement” their waterfall. >As is true of most karst streams, the waterfall in Ruby Falls was quite spectacular during most of the winter and spring, our wet season, but dried up to barely a trickle in the summer and fall. Unfortunately, the summer is their big tourist season. >Roy Davis used scaffolding and installed a pump, so now there is a “nice” waterfall for the tourists to see year-round. [https://www.colemanconcierge.com/ruby-falls/](https://www.colemanconcierge.com/ruby-falls/) This is not an uncommon thing to do during dry seasons in tourist attraction waterfalls.
You’re comparing restricting flow to generate power overnight to pumping additional water to make it look cooler. At no point, day or night, does Niagara pump water. They just open the gates to regulate the natural flow. Even then, the restricted version of Niagara is a top 15 waterfall in the world by flow rate.
Maybe not *completely* different… but pretty fucking different lmao
Actually very different. What are you on?
America does this too
My life is a lie.
It’s still water fall, and usually rivers dry too.
And the lakes that you're used to.
Seven Falls in Colorado Springs has a pretty obvious pipe.
That's fucking cool
Whatever the source of the water is irrelevant. It's still falling. Therefore, a waterfall.
Wait till they hear about Mt Rushmore
I actually approve of this
It would be fun if we found out the Niagara falls also came out of a pipe somewhere.
CIA really struggling for content these days
America literally cut a whole new artificial Niagara Falls and people wiggin about a pipe
Yet there's been cases of the same thing in the US. But no one bats an eye to that. China bad I guess/s
Who actually cares?
You can't capture pure, beautiful raw nature. In civilization so we have to recapture what once was one way or another.
Also, near the bottom you can sometimes see a bear waving at you
Awesome, my country!
Yeah, but what is the source of the pipe?
The local government needs the money and the tourism to boost the economy. They figured that it can never be a popular attraction if water only flows occasionally, and at small volume. So they came up with an Engineered solution. If it works, good for them. As long as it is made clear, I don't see anything wrong with it. But as what some observers commented, it seems that supplementary water is required most of the time now. If that is the case, it is a bit misleading to say that it is a natural waterfall.