Huangguoshu Waterfall, also known as Huangguoshu Waterfall. Formerly known as Baishuihe Waterfall, also known as “Huanggeshu” Waterfall or “Huanggeshu” Waterfall, the myth of Huangguoshu Waterfall has been passed down among the people of Guizhou since ancient times. The name Huangguoshu Waterfall comes from the tree that bears the “yellow fruit” in this myth. It is located in Zhenning Buyi and Miao Autonomous County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province, China. It belongs to the water system of Baishui River section at the lower reaches of Kebu River, a tributary of Dabang River, a tributary of Beipan River, a tributary of the Pearl River water system. It is the largest first-class waterfall in Huangguoshu Waterfall Group and one of the world famous waterfalls. Known for its vast water flow. The height of the waterfall is 77.8 meters, of which the main waterfall is 67 meters high; The waterfall is 101 meters wide, with the main waterfall top being 83.3 meters wide. Huangguoshu Waterfall belongs to the erosion fissure type waterfall in karst landforms.
Huangguoshu Waterfall is located in a low-lying area in western Guizhou, with a low altitude and no frost all year round. The annual average temperature is around 14 ℃; There is no severe cold in winter and no scorching heat in summer, making it a popular destination for escaping the cold and heat. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 4.3 ℃, but the lowest temperature rarely drops below zero; July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 22 ℃, and there are hardly any high temperature days.
Xu Xiake described the Huangguoshu Waterfall as follows: “Looking south through the gap of the Dragon River, there is a stream hanging and pounding on the left side of the road, with thousands of streams flying into the air. The rocks on the stream are like lotus leaves, with three gates carved out in the middle. The water flows down from the top of the leaves, like thousands of pieces of shark silk, horizontally covering the gate. The one that goes straight down cannot be measured in meters. The pounding pearls and jade, the droplets surging back, and the smoke and mist soaring into the air, are very powerful. The so-called ‘pearl curtain hooks not rolled, flying and training hanging distant peaks’ are not enough to describe its strength.” Among the waterfalls he saw, “there were several times as high and steep, but never as wide and large as this”. Since then, Huangguoshu Waterfall has gradually been regarded as the number one waterfall in the country.
After the waterfall, there is a 134 meter long water curtain cave that crosses the waterfall, consisting of 6 cave windows, 5 cave halls, 3 cave springs, and 6 passages. Watching the waterfall from the water curtain cave is breathtaking. The water curtain cave under such a spectacular waterfall is also rare among waterfalls around the world. In front of the waterfall is a deep box shaped karst canyon, with cliffs on the left and ancient forests; To the right are the calcium carbonate slope and stalagmite mountain, with fragrant grass and flowers, and covered with clouds and sky; In the middle, there are Rhinoceros Pond, Horseshoe Pond, and so on. The ponds and beaches are connected, and they pass through each other. Rhinoceros Pool is 17 meters deep and is often covered with splashing beads, with mist droplets soaring into the air; In the morning and afternoon, the sunlight refracts and a rainbow rises, earning the reputation of “snow reflecting the river and clouds” from our predecessors. Across from the waterfall, there is a “Waterfall Viewing Pavilion”, which is very ancient and elegant. There is a famous couplet by Yan Yinliang, a famous calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty: “White water is like cotton, it disperses without the need for bows and bullets; red clouds are like brocade, why weave them into the sky?” Under the pavilion, there are dense trees, and there is a winding path leading directly to the river. The curved bridge over the river leads to the “Water Curtain Cave”. Not far downstream from the waterfall, there is a Huangguoshu Waterfall Hotel nestled among green trees on the shore. The hotel building adopts the style of Buyi stone masonry architecture. There is a marble statue of Xu Xiake built on the side of the waterfall.
The Huangguoshu Waterfall Festival is one of the most influential tourism festival brand events in Guizhou Province. It is a grand event that integrates economy, trade, culture, sports, tourism, promotion, and ecology, and plays an important role in accelerating the development of Guizhou’s tourism industry and promoting tourism industrialization. This event started in 2004 and is usually held every year.