Hukou Waterfall Offers Spectacular Views in All Seasons, But the Winter Scene Is the Most Eye-Opening, with Inverted Ice Peaks Creating a Fantasy Landscape

Taking advantage of the New Year holiday, I drove with my family from Xi'an to the Hukou Waterfall in Shaanxi. Everyone is familiar with Hukou Waterfall, but the winter Hukou Waterfall has a bit less tenderness. Most people love the roaring Yellow River during the flood season, but I alone adore the winter Hukou Waterfall.

It coincided with the second Shaanxi Yellow River Hukou Icefall Festival and the third Four Seasons Hukou Travel Photography Competition, themed "Charming Icefall · Jade Pot Scenery."

This Icefall Festival runs from January 1, 2021, to February 28, 2021, combining tradition and fashion, setting up social media photo spots, integrating folk culture and trendy interactive experiences, enriching the scene atmosphere, and simultaneously leveraging online and offline marketing resources to tell Shaanxi stories well and promote Yellow River culture. It aims to inspire photography and sketching to build a better and happier life in the new era, and to better showcase the ever-changing charm of the Yellow River Hukou Waterfall.

To present the flavor of Hukou, the opening ceremony featured the passionate, vigorous, and fierce Hukou Dougu drum performance, which vividly displayed the visual and auditory elements characteristic of northern Shaanxi, highlighting the unique regional culture of Hukou Waterfall, brimming with strong folk customs and deeply imprinted with the Yellow River's mark.

The scene was very lively, full of the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

White horn-shaped scarves and red drums echoed across the open space.

Although the weather was cold, it couldn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm for sightseeing.

Located in Yichuan, Shaanxi, Hukou Waterfall is the second-largest waterfall in China and the world's largest yellow waterfall, belonging to the canyon-type waterfall category. Here, the relatively flat and wide water surface of over 300 meters upstream quickly narrows in a very short distance, rushing into a steep canyon only about 20 meters wide in the middle of the river channel. The torrent plunges down from a nearly 30-meter-high cliff, forming the natural spectacle of "the Yellow River gathered in a single pot," from which Hukou Waterfall gets its name.

Hukou Waterfall is the only golden-yellow waterfall in the world and the only one with seasonal changes. The water changes with the air, and the scenery shifts with the season. Throughout the year, the grandeur varies. In winter, during the coldest months, the vast atmosphere of the Qin-Jin Gorge suddenly disappears. Thousands of miles are frozen, and vast snowflakes fall, presenting a typical northern landscape.

In the severe winter, the great river above and below loses its surging flow. The Hukou flying waterfall turns into an ice palace, crystal clear, exquisitely delicate. Immersed in such beautiful scenery, one lingers on and forgets to return.

Known as the "second-largest waterfall in China," the Yellow River Hukou Waterfall, under the meticulous carving of the northern winter, changes from its usual unrestrained and boisterous nature to a serene, pristine glacier and icefall, forming the unique "Icefall Jade Pot" wonder. It tells the world the beautiful ice and snow legend of Hukou in winter, offering a visual feast of northern ice and snow scenery for travel enthusiasts from all over the world.

The magnificent icefall, magical icicles, rainbows dancing in the wind, pure white snow, smiling northern Shaanxi men, and the robust, mighty Hukou Dougu drumming together form the standard winter scenery of the Shaanxi Yellow River Hukou Waterfall.

In winter, when the temperature drops to minus 12-13 degrees Celsius, the water mist washes onto the shore and hangs on the cliffs. As the temperature falls, icicles of varying lengths form, which is very distinctive. Compared to the crowded spring, summer, and autumn, winter is the "quiet season" for Hukou Waterfall. Deep within the folds of the icicles on the riverbank cliffs lie the secrets of "her" millions of years. The rising water vapor drifts with the wind, rising and falling, enveloping the surroundings in glass-like ice crystals, placing visitors in an "interstellar travel" alien wonderland, allowing them to experience dazzling icefall wonders.

The winter Hukou icefall spectacle not only attracts many tourists but also becomes a great location for photography enthusiasts.

Seen from a God's-eye view, Hukou Waterfall looks like a long dragon.

Here, rainbows, rare in cities, can be seen in all four seasons, and occasionally double rainbows.

Photography enthusiasts share their winter journey to the Shaanxi Hukou Waterfall, recording the wonders along the way, capturing every 'frozen' moment from different perspectives. Their works and travel notes can also participate in a prize-winning solicitation activity.

Prizes range from 300 to 3,000 yuan, divided into three categories: Online Popularity Award for Casual Photos, Professional Award for Casual Photos, and Media Reporter Works Award. Everyone can take photos, leave the most beautiful impression of Hukou, and take the prize money home.

For details on how to participate, please visit the Shaanxi Hukou Waterfall WeChat official account.

Ticket price: 90 yuan/person

Round-trip shuttle bus ticket: 40 yuan/person. Keep the ticket safe as you will need it for the return trip.

1. Baomao Expressway - Qinglan Expressway to Shaanxi Hukou Exit - Hukou Scenic Area South Visitor Service Center. Total distance 314 km, expressway toll 160 yuan, about 4 hours drive.

2. Lianhuo Expressway - Jingkun Expressway - Yanhuang Highway - Hukou Scenic Area South Visitor Service Center. Total distance 295 km, expressway toll 90 yuan, about 4 hours 20 minutes drive.

Take a Hukou bus (departs at 12:15) from Xi'an Chengbei Bus Station to the scenic area South Visitor Service Center.