Encountering the Beauty of China, Experiencing Poetry and the Distance: Walking the Motherland Series I, Comprehensive Chapter (7) Grand View of Waterfalls

📍 Jiuzhaigou · 👁 2742 reads

China has a vast territory and diverse landforms, which makes waterfalls widely distributed across the country, found in almost every province. Different geological structures and causes have created waterfalls of various sizes and styles, with ever-changing and diverse landscapes. However, among these waterfalls scattered throughout the country, only a few, due to their flow, drop, and width—the three essential elements of a waterfall—meet people's aesthetic standards, providing beautiful visual enjoyment and entering the public eye, gradually developing into well-known tourist attractions.

Guizhou - Anshun - Huangguoshu Waterfall

Guizhou - Anshun - Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area

Guangxi - Chongzuo - Detian Waterfall

Shaanxi - Yichuan - Hukou Waterfall

Yunnan - Luoping - Jiulong Waterfall

Sichuan - Jiuzhaigou - Nuorilang Waterfall

Guizhou - Chishui - Chishui Great Waterfall

Guangdong - Meizhou - Longguizhai Waterfall

The beauty of a waterfall refers to the beauty of dynamic water scenery. It integrates the beauty of shape, color, and sound, possessing unique expressiveness. Different terrains and causes determine the form of a waterfall, classifying it as magnificent or graceful. Magnificent waterfalls are powerful, like a flood bursting through a dam, overwhelming, giving a grand and majestic aesthetic feeling; graceful waterfalls have light and fine water flow, elegant waterfall posture, providing a hazy and gentle aesthetic feeling. Waterfalls across the country display characteristics of both magnificence and grace, all without exception being miraculous works of nature.

Shaanxi - Yichuan - Hukou Waterfall

Guizhou - Anshun - Huangguoshu Waterfall

Guangxi - Chongzuo - Detian Waterfall

Guizhou - Chishui - Chishui Great Waterfall

Sichuan - Jiuzhaigou - Nuorilang Waterfall

Over the years, walking the motherland, I have seen countless waterfalls large and small during my travels. But most were just passed by and glanced at, leaving little impression. Only a very few waterfalls, though scattered in all directions, and most requiring a special trip, were truly astonishing, breathtaking, impressive, and unforgettable after viewing. Among them, well-known and visually appealing ones that left a good impression include Guizhou Huangguoshu Waterfall, Guangxi Detian Waterfall, Shaanxi Hukou Waterfall, Yunnan Jiulong Waterfall, Sichuan Nuorilang Waterfall, Guizhou Chishui Great Waterfall, Guangdong Longguizhai Waterfall, etc. Among them, Huangguoshu Waterfall, Detian Waterfall, Hukou Waterfall, Jiulong Waterfall, and Nuorilang Waterfall were once selected by "Chinese National Geography" as China's most beautiful waterfalls. These waterfalls are either majestic, precipitous, graceful, or gentle, breathtakingly beautiful, incomparable, well worth seeing, and even more worth sharing with everyone.

Guizhou - Anshun - Huangguoshu Waterfall

Guangxi - Chongzuo - Detian Waterfall

Yunnan - Luoping - Jiulong Waterfall

Sichuan - Jiuzhaigou - Nuorilang Waterfall

Guangdong - Meizhou - Longguizhai Waterfall

Guizhou Huangguoshu Waterfall

Huangguoshu Waterfall is located in Huangguoshu Town, Zhenning Buyi and Miao Autonomous County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province. Centered on Huangguoshu Waterfall, more than a dozen waterfalls are distributed around it. Huangguoshu Waterfall is the largest first-level waterfall in the Huangguoshu Waterfall Group. As the largest waterfall in China and the third largest in the world, it can be said to be one of the representative works of China's natural attractions. Its fame began with the famous Ming Dynasty traveler Xu Xiake, and through generations of dissemination, it has become a well-known scenic spot.

Huangguoshu Waterfall is famous for its vast water flow. The waterfall is 77.8 meters high, of which the main waterfall is 67 meters high, and the waterfall is 101 meters wide, with the main waterfall top width of 83.3 meters.

1. Huangguoshu Waterfall has several viewing platforms, allowing you to view the waterfall's majesty, peculiarity, danger, and beauty from multiple directions: above, below, front, back, left, and right.

2. The Huangguoshu Scenic Area is large, and the ticket includes three major attractions: Huangguoshu Waterfall, Tianxingqiao Scenic Area, and Duopotang Waterfall (valid for two days, but each attraction can only be entered once). If you visit all these attractions, you need at least a full day to arrange your time.

3. There are many hotels and guesthouses near and around the scenic area for accommodation and dining.

Guizhou - Anshun - Huangguoshu Waterfall

Guizhou - Anshun - Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area

Guizhou - Anshun - Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area - Duopotang Waterfall

Guangxi Detian Waterfall

Detian Waterfall is located in Detian Village, Shuolong Town, Daxin County, Chongzuo City, Guangxi, on the China-Vietnam border. It spans both China and Vietnam and is the fourth largest transnational waterfall in the world and the largest in Asia.

The source of the waterfall is the Guichun River, the boundary river between China and Vietnam. It flows into Vietnam and then back to Guangxi, passing through Detian Village in Daxin County, and then falls from a 60-meter-high cliff in three tiers, forming the majestic landscape of Detian Waterfall. On the left side of the waterfall is the smaller Banyoe Waterfall within Vietnam. The two waterfalls, one large and one small, hang between the green cliffs, like a pair of close sisters.

Detian Waterfall falls in three tiers, with a maximum width of more than 200 meters, a depth of more than 60 meters, and a drop of over 70 meters. The average annual flow rate is 50 cubic meters per second. The geology of the area is thick-layered dolomite, making it the largest natural waterfall in Southeast Asia.

1. If you want to view the waterfall up close, you can take a bamboo raft on the river to observe and take photos from the water surface, offering a different visual experience.

2. Not far from the waterfall, there is a China-Vietnam border marker, and some Vietnamese border residents sell small items here. You can stroll around and take souvenir photos.

3. Near the Detian Waterfall Scenic Area, there are other attractions such as Mingshi Rural Scenery and Tongling Grand Canyon that can be visited together.

Guangxi - Chongzuo - Detian Waterfall

Guangxi - Chongzuo - Detian Waterfall Scenic Area - Guichun River

Guangxi - Chongzuo - Detian Waterfall Scenic Area - China-Vietnam Border Marker

Guangxi - Chongzuo - Mingshi Rural Scenery

Shaanxi Hukou Waterfall

Hukou Waterfall is located in the Yellow River bed of the Qin-Jin Grand Canyon. To the west is Hukou Township, Yichuan County, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, and to the east is Hukou Town, Ji County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province. It is a tourist attraction shared by the two provinces.

Because the Yellow River water carries a lot of sediment, this has become a rare golden-yellow waterfall in the world. Hukou Waterfall is the second largest waterfall in China and the largest yellow waterfall in the world. When the Yellow River rushes here, the stone cliffs on both sides stand steep, and the river mouth narrows like a teapot spout, hence the name Hukou Waterfall ("Hukou" meaning "teapot mouth").

The upstream Yellow River water surface is 300 meters wide, but within a distance of less than 500 meters, it is compressed to a width of 20-30 meters. With a flow of 1000 cubic meters per second, the river water pours down from a 20-meter-high cliff, creating the spirit of "a thousand miles of the Yellow River collected in a pot." Standing by the river and watching, one cannot help but be shocked. This place is also hailed as "National Spirit" and "Soul of the Yellow River," a spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation's courage to forge ahead.

1. Hukou Waterfall can be viewed from the scenic area on the Shaanxi side in Hukou Township, Yichuan County, Yan'an City, or from the scenic area on the Shanxi side in Hukou Town, Ji County, Linfen City. It is said that the scenic area on the Shaanxi side is more famous and offers better viewing effects.

2. When sightseeing, especially taking photos, do not get too close to the bank. The rock surface on the bank often has water vapor and loess, and it is easy to slip if not careful.

Shaanxi - Yichuan - Hukou Waterfall

Yunnan Jiulong Waterfall

Jiulong Waterfall is located on the Jiulong River, 22 kilometers north of Luoping County, Qujing City, Yunnan Province. Due to special geological structures and thousands of years of water erosion, along a river course about 4 kilometers long, a series of ten waterfalls of varying heights, widths, and shapes have formed based on topographical differences. Among them, the largest is 112 meters wide and 56 meters high, with magnificent momentum, known as the First Waterfall of Jiulong.

The Jiulong Waterfall Group, with its many waterfalls and dense scenic spots, forms its unique viewing characteristics, with beautiful scenery throughout the year, known as "Ten Waterfalls of Jiulong, a Unique Wonder in the South." The shallows and deep pools between the waterfalls are diverse and colorful, offering natural scenery and the spectacular sight of waterfalls.

1. The entire scenic area is composed of multiple waterfalls connected together, each with its own characteristics. You can overlook the spectacular scenery from a high vantage point.

2. The waterfalls change endlessly with the seasons. In the wet season, they are particularly spectacular, and you can hear the roar of the big waterfalls from afar.

3. Staying at farm stays near the scenic area and eating authentic farm food is a good choice.

Yunnan - Luoping - Jiulong Waterfall

Sichuan Nuorilang Waterfall

Nuorilang Waterfall is located near the Nuorilang Visitor Center in Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, at an altitude of 2365 meters. The waterfall is 270 meters wide and 24.5 meters high, making it one of China's large calcified waterfalls and the widest waterfall in China. In Tibetan, "Nuorilang" means majestic and spectacular. Nuorilang Waterfall is wide and vast, like an enormous silver screen hanging on the valley fault of Jiuzhaigou.

There is a viewing platform opposite the waterfall for viewing its full panorama. Clear snowmelt comes from afar, over old tree roots and dead wood, through barren meadows and grasslands, gathering into the mirror-like Jinghai Lake, then silently sliding out from the bushes, and plunging down at the fault to form the magnificent Nuorilang Waterfall.

1. According to reports, due to the impact of a major earthquake a few years ago, this famous landscape in Jiuzhaigou has undergone great changes.

2. There are countless large and small waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, among which Zhenzhutan Waterfall, Shuzheng Waterfall, and Shuanglonghai Waterfall are also very beautiful and worth seeing.

Sichuan - Jiuzhaigou - Nuorilang Waterfall

Sichuan - Jiuzhaigou - Zhenzhutan Waterfall

Sichuan - Jiuzhaigou - Shuzheng Waterfall

Sichuan - Jiuzhaigou - Shuanglonghai Waterfall

Guizhou Chishui Great Waterfall

Chishui Great Waterfall, also known as Shizhangdong Waterfall, is located in the southern part of Chishui City, Guizhou Province. The terrain belongs to the Danxia landform, and it is the largest waterfall on China's Danxia landform. The waterfall is 76 meters high and 80 meters wide, praised by experts as "another waterfall wonder in China," and is one of China's best waterfall wonders, comparable to Huangguoshu Waterfall.

Chishui Great Waterfall is a core component of the "Chishui Danxia" World Natural Heritage nomination. The waterfall is majestic, with obvious ring-shaped Danxia geological structure, and the water flows endlessly throughout the year. The combination of Danxia and the waterfall is particularly magnificent.

1. There is a certain distance from the scenic area entrance to the great waterfall. Spending a little money to take the sightseeing bus is convenient and fast; walking allows you to stroll and enjoy the Danxia landform along the way, breathe fresh air, which is also a good choice.

2. There are few places to eat in the scenic area. If the tour takes a long time, you need to bring some dry food.

Guizhou - Chishui - Chishui Great Waterfall

Guizhou - Chishui - Chishui Great Waterfall Scenic Area

Guangdong Longguizhai Waterfall

Longguizhai Waterfall is located in Fengshun County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, 13 kilometers from the county town. The waterfall is 125 meters high, with a drop of 115 meters and a width of 62 meters. It is majestic and spectacular, known as the "No. 1 Waterfall in Eastern Guangdong." The area has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and a tranquil environment.

1. You can feel the magnificence of the front view of the waterfall at the foot of the mountain, or climb up the mountain along the hiking trail to appreciate the waterfall from different heights with different perspectives.

2. Before reaching the scenic area, there is a section of mountain road with many curves and narrow pavement. Self-driving requires careful driving for safety.

Guangdong - Meizhou - Longguizhai Waterfall

Guangdong - Meizhou - Longguizhai Waterfall Scenic Area