Chinese officials have been forced to apologise after a hiker found a secret waterpipe supplying China‘s tallest waterfall.
The video, posted to TikTok‘s sister app Douyin on Sunday, showed a large water main embedded at the top of Yuntai Mountain Waterfall, touted as China’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall.
Millions of tourists visit the 1024ft-tall waterfall every year, drawn in by the ancient geological formations that date back more than a billion years.
Officials for Yuntai Mountain Geopark, a UNESCO-listed site, made a bizarre social media post, apologising for the additional pipe by speaking as the waterfall itself.
‘I didn’t expect to meet everyone this way. As a seasonal scenery I can’t guarantee that I will be in my most beautiful form every time you come to see me,’ the post read.
The video, posted to TikTok’s sister app Douyin on Sunday, (pictured) showed a large water main embedded at the top of Yuntai Mountain Waterfall
Millions of tourists visit the 1024ft-tall waterfall every year
‘I made a small enhancement during the dry season only so I would look my best to meet my friends.’
Park officials also told local media that the water they used in the pipe was spring water, adding that it would not damage the waterfall itself.
But Chinese social media users were still infuriated by the decision.
‘It’s not respecting the natural order, and not respecting the tourists,’ a Weibo user wrote.
‘How could it be called the No.1 waterfall anymore,’ another user said on Douyin.
The famous Huangguoshu Waterfall (pictured) in the southwestern Guizhou province has been assisted by water diverted from a nearby dam
Officials boasted that their decision ‘put an end to the history of Huangguoshu Waterfall drying up’
China has a reputation of using artificial measures to enhance famous waterfalls.
The famous Huangguoshu Waterfall in the southwestern Guizhou province has been assisted by water diverted from a nearby dam that was built in 2004 to maintain a consistent flow during China’s dry season.
At the time, the province praised the building of the dam.
Officials boasted that their decision ‘put an end to the history of Huangguoshu Waterfall drying up.’