Rainbow Over Hukou: Hukou Even More Splendid

One of the Shanxi Tour - Hukou Waterfall

Friend! Do you remember the Yellow River Cantata? Do you remember the wind howling, the horse neighing, the Yellow River roaring, the Yellow River roaring - that passionate and stirring song?

Friend! Have you been to the Yellow River? Have you crossed the Yellow River? Do you still remember the scene of boatmen risking their lives to battle the surging waves?

This is the Yellow River, a long river that never ceases to flow, a mother river of the descendants of Yan and Huang.

This is the Yellow River. Here, at Hukou Waterfall, it sparked the creative passion of lyricist Guang Weiran and gave rise to composer Xian Xinghai's masterpiece.

It was also here that the resounding song "Defend our hometown, defend the Yellow River, defend North China, defend all of China!" was sung.

Ah! The Yellow River is the unyielding soul of our Chinese nation. It inspires generation after generation of Chinese people to march forward with heads held high, advancing through struggle and endeavor.

As someone born in the 1960s, I will never forget it. It seems as if some invisible force pushed me to come here, to see and walk around, to get close to the Yellow River, this mother river, and to feel her great and magical power.

So, on May 14, 2023, I joined a group tour of Shanxi organized by a travel agency. On May 16, we visited the Yellow River Hukou Waterfall. Below, I have written this article based on my visit and feelings, to share with everyone.

Hukou Waterfall is a national scenic area and a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction. It borders Hukou Town, Ji County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province to the east, and Hukou Town, Yichuan County, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province to the west, making it a tourist attraction shared by the two provinces.

Hukou Waterfall is the second largest waterfall in China. Because the Yellow River carries a lot of sediment, it has become a rare yellow waterfall in the world. When the Yellow River surges here, the stone cliffs on both banks stand steep, and the river mouth narrows like a teapot spout, hence the name Hukou Waterfall.

Entering the scenic area, what appears before us is a large stone bed with some irregular puddles scattered on it. Continuing along the boardwalk, there is also a river channel beside it, flowing downstream with a gurgling sound like a small stream, eventually merging into the main river channel. The water quality looks relatively clear.

Not far ahead, we saw a large area of rising mist and heard the sound of rushing water. Soon we reached the core of the scenic area - Hukou Waterfall.

There, in front of an inverted U-shaped opening, the rushing water from three sides converged, plunging straight down to form a huge waterfall.

Looking along the waterfall mouth, you will find that the upstream water surface is about 300 meters wide. When the turbulent flow reaches the Hukou, it is constrained by the cliffs on both sides, suddenly narrowing to a width of 30 meters, and the flow speed increases many times over.

The torrent falls with the force of ten thousand thunderbolts, crashing into the bottom of the 50-meter-deep channel with a tremendous roar, like "a thunderclap in a dry sky," sending up large clouds of mist, creating the wonder of "smoke rising from under the water."

Especially, under the sunlight, the layers of mist refract into colorful rainbows. As the viewer's position changes, the rainbow also changes - sometimes forming an arc dipping into the water, sometimes a ribbon across the surface, sometimes flickering and shifting, creating the magnificent scene of "rainbows playing in the water."

It is only here that the Yellow River, first forced by the mountains to become swift, then released by the shoals to become wild, can plunge down with the force of an avalanche and the momentum of ten thousand horses galloping, with a deafening roar, splashing foam that raises rainbows, cracking hard rocks with thunder, emitting light mist and spitting smoke, like a tiger roaring and shaking the river, rumbling for a thousand miles, and trembling the earth.

Only here can your soul be cleansed, purified, and shocked! Because this shock cannot be felt without being there in person. It is indescribable in words. Only by being there can you experience this immense power and grand spirit.

Only here can you understand another side of the Yellow River mother - her vastness and broad embrace. After this battle, the Yellow River follows its course, carrying a river of passion, wrapped in the gentle breeze from the banks, and then departs gracefully, revealing again her calmness, her tenderness, her magnanimity, her solemnity, then flows thousands of miles slowly into the sea.

If you want to have some fun, take a ride, or be a bit playful, you can also change into local costumes, put on a floral cloth jacket, ride a little donkey, strike a pose, and take a souvenir photo.

Warm reminder: The best place to view the waterfall is on the Shanxi side, preferably in the morning, because the sunlight shines from the front, and rainbows may appear. The Shanxi side also offers a frontal view, making the waterfall more spectacular. If the Dragon Cave, also known as the "Waterfall Viewing Cave," on this side is open, you can get a close-up view, which is the best spot to watch the waterfall. Of course, you need to buy an additional ticket for 20 yuan.