Waterfalls

Huangguoshu Waterfall

 

Being the largest waterfall in China and also one of the famous in the world, the Huangguoshu Grand Waterfall is located over the Baishui River, 15 kilometers southwest of Zhenning Buyi and Miao Autonomous County in the southwest Anshun, Guizhou Province. It is the main waterfall in the Huangguoshu Scenic Spot, with a fall of 74 meters and a width of 81 meters. In summer, the water rises suddenly, pouring down from cliffs 700 meters high to the Xiuniu Pool (rhinoceros pool) with thunderous roars that can be heard five kilometers away. Water smoke rises to over a hundred meters high from the plunge pool, and changes into rainbows in the sunshine.

 

The Huangguoshu Grand Waterfall changes with seasons. In winter, it falls down gently due to decreased amount of water; while in summer and autumn, its volume increases abruptly, with earthshaking momentum. Sometimes, the surging waterfall sends up foams and smokes hundreds of meters high, often making the surrounding areas in the drizzle.
 

In front of the Huangguoshu Grand Waterfall is a box-shaped karst topographical canyon, in which lies a string of pools, including the Xiniu Pool, the Sandao Shoal, the Mati Pool, and the Maoshui Pool, etc. These pools all have their own features, for example, the Mati Pool has a shape of a horse′s hoof, which is a kind of geological forms of karst waterfall. Along both sides of the canyon, many species of hygrophilous plants thrive with wild flowers and weed. There are many constructions built among the bamboo forests, such as the Water-Viewing Pavilion, Waterfall-Viewing Pavilion, teahouses, the iron chain bridge and funicular railways. Those constructions together with the waterfall make a wonderful three-dimensional painting of mountains and rivers.

 

There is a 134-meter long water-curtain cave behind the waterfall, with six windows, five halls, three springs and one waterfall inside it. Walking in the cave, one can see through the windows the waterfall pouring down outside. At sunset, visitors standing by the window can enjoy the magnificent view of the waterfall, with rainbows curling up in the Xiniu Pool and rosy clouds floating over the distant mountains. This is the famous scenery of viewing the sunset from the water-curtain cave.

Source: http://www.chinaculture.org