The Hukou Waterfall (), is the largest waterfall on the

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

, the second largest waterfall in China (after the Huangguoshu Waterfall in

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

), and the world's largest yellow waterfall. It is located at the intersection of the provinces of

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

and

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

, to the west of Fenxi County, and to the east of Yichuan County where the middle reaches of the Yellow River flow through Jinxia Grand Canyon. The width of the waterfall changes with the season, usually wide but increasing to during

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

season. It has a height of over . When the Yellow River approaches the Hukou Mountain, blocked by mountains on both sides, its width is abruptly narrowed down to . The water's velocity increases, and then plunges over a narrow opening on a cliff, forming a waterfall high and wide, as if water were pouring down from a huge teapot. Hence it gets the name ''Hukou'' (literally, "flask mouth") Waterfall. In the middle of the river, about from the Hukou Waterfall, an enormous rock catches the attention of visitors. When the Yellow River flows to this point, divides into two, rolling and roaring on and on from both sides of the rock before reconverging. Beneath the waterfall is the Qilangwo Bridge which connects the two provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi. In the sunshine, the mist is refracted by sunlight to create a rainbow spanning the water like a colorful bridge. In 1991, Hukou Waterfall was named one of the "40 Best" national scenic spots. Due to its awkward location in the

Loess Plateau The Loess Plateau is a plateau in north-central China formed of loess, a clastic rock, clastic silt-like sediment formed by the accumulation of Dust#Atmospheric, wind-blown dust. It is located southeast of the Gobi Desert and is surrounded by t ...

hinterlands, Hukou was once very difficult to access. After the local government improved transport and tourist facilities, the number of tourists rose from 20,000 in 1994 to 47,000 in 1995. The figure for 1996 reached 100,000 tourists. Today, it is one of the top 100 tourist sites in China with well developed tourist infrastructure. At peak season, there are more than 40,000 tourists daily
An image of the Hukou Waterfall
can be seen on the older fourth series of the renminbi 50 RMB banknote.

References

Hukou Waterfall at China.org.cnHukou Waterfall - Known to Elaborate Spirit of Chinese People
Foreigners are forbidden from visiting the falls.

External links

{{coord, 36.1314, N, 110.4508, E, type:river_region:CN-14_source:Gaode, format=dms, display=t Waterfalls of China Landforms of Shanxi Landforms of Shaanxi Tourist attractions in Shanxi Tourist attractions in Shaanxi

See also

References

External links