China's social media landscape has been rocked by a debate over a waterfall, to the point that the water body itself has responded with an explanation.
In a video that a hiker shared, it was seen that the water flow from China's biggest continuous waterfall, Yuntai Mountain Waterfall, originated from a pipe that was positioned high up on the rock face.
More than 70,000 people have liked the video since it was initially uploaded on Monday.
According to the Yuntai tourism park operators, the "small enhancement" was done during the dry season to give guests a sense of purpose for their journey.
The title of a video uploaded by user "Farisvov" says, "The one about how I went through all the hardship to the source of Yuntai Waterfall only to see a pipe."
On social media, the phrase "the origin of Yuntai Waterfall is just some pipes" started to gain popularity.
After garnering over 14 million views on Weibo and almost 10 million views on Douyin, it created such a stir that local government representatives were dispatched to the park to look into it.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, they instructed the operators to take a lesson from the tragedy and notify travelers in advance of the upgrades.
The park later commented on behalf of the waterfall, stating, "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," it says.
"I made a small enhancement during the dry season only so I would look my best to meet my friends."
The 312-meter Yuntai Falls, located in central Henan province, are part of the Yuntai Mountain Geopark, a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Every year, millions of people come to see geological structures that date back more than a billion years.
Park authorities told CCTV that the water they used to pump into the falls was spring water and that it would not harm the natural scenery.
Many internet users questioned how it could be referred to as the number one waterfall anymore.
This is not the first time that artificial means have been utilized to "help" renowned waterfalls in China.
Huangguoshu Waterfall, a popular tourist site in southern Guizhou province, has been aided by a water diversion project from a neighboring dam since 2006 to keep it flowing during the dry season.