China's most famous waterfall goes viral after hiker makes embarrassing discovery

We all have those mates, or at least people we follow on Instagram, who seem to spend their weekends going on walks and posting a photo next to some kind of waterfall or on a mountain.

And you can’t deny, as you sit from your bed surrounded by snacks and watching Netflix, that they do look pretty beautiful.

A waterfall is of course a natural formation where water flows over a vertical drop or series of drops. Emphasis on the natural.

With plenty of artificial ones found in the likes of hotels or even shopping centres, real ones are found all over the world in all kinds of places.

And the most famous one all the way over in China has gone viral after a hiker made an embarrassing discovery.

It's a major tourist attraction but it might not be as it seems. (Yuntai Mountain Net)

They shared a video to social media that sparked pretty big controversy over Yuntai Mountain Waterfall which has the title of China’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall.

However, the hiker showed that the water seemed to actually be coming from a pipe built high up into the rock face - not quite so natural.

Posted by user ‘Farisvov’ on Douyin, the caption reads: “The one about how I went through all the hardship to the source of Yuntai Waterfall only to see a pipe.”

And this led to the topic ‘the origin of Yuntai Waterfall is just some pipes’ to trend on social media. It racked up millions of views on Chinese social media sites and ended up causing local government officials to have to investigate.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, officials asked the operators to learn a lesson from this and explain any enhancements to tourists beforehand.

Turns out there's a pipe. (Douyin)

Operators of the Yuntai tourism park explained they’d made the ‘small enhancement’ during the dry season to keep the experience worthwhile for visitors.

The park then later posted as the actual waterfall as it said: “I didn't expect to meet everyone this way.”

Yes, speaking as the actual body of water it continued: “As a seasonal scenery I can't guarantee that I will be in my most beautiful form every time you come to see me.

"I made a small enhancement during the dry season only so I would look my best to meet my friends."

Millions of visitors travel to Yuntai Mountain Geopark every year to see the 312-metre Yuntai falls but it seems it’s not been quite as natural as they thought.