Hiker recently filmed a pipe that supplies water to the tallest waterfall in China

A hiker's video revealing a pipe augmenting China's famous Yuntai Mountain Waterfall sparked outrage, as operators admitted enhancing flow, prompting debates around artificially altering natural attractions.

The video going viral on Chinese social media was shot by a hiker who visited the Yuntai Mountain Waterfall, the highest uninterrupted waterfall in China, or so says the legend.

The video was shot on Monday by a hiker with the username of ‘Farisvov’ featuring a pipe at the 312-meter tall waterfall in the Henan province discharging water. On Chinese platforms, it has received more than 70 thousand likes.

The post #the origin of Yuntai Waterfall is just some pipes# was reposted hundreds of thousands of times on Weibo and Douyin and gained tens of millions of views. This led local authorities to take a closer look at the situation at the UNESCO Global Geopark.

Yuntai Mountain tourism park operators admitted to making ‘small improvements’ by conducting artificial filling, particularly during the dry season to avoid displeasing tourists with the lack of water flow. They said that the additional water was from wells from natural sources and would not harm the environment.

In a post in what seems to be from the perspective of the waterfall, the park quipped that it made a small alteration during the dry season only so that it would look its best when meeting its friends.

While some welcomed the move to guarantee an aesthetic experience, others condemned it as intrusive, disrespecting nature, and giving tourists an unrealistic expectation of the natural state of the iconic waterfall.

This particular event brought into focus a larger discussion on the artificial augmentation of natural assets in China. Similarly, the famous Huangguoshu Waterfall has used water siphoned from a dam to keep the waterfall flowing for years.

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For such large crowds that flock to the park annually, officials required the park to declare enhancements; however, many internet users appeared to be forgiving of any temporary measures to maintain the looks of the waterfall.