There is a lot of beauty in the world around us. Some of the beauty is natural and it may have existed for thousands or perhaps even millions of years. Another type of beauty is man-made and sometimes, it is a combination of visual beauty and the power of what humans are able to make. That is the case with this building in the Chinese city of Guiyang. It may look like a normal skyscraper when you first look at it but it hides a surprising secret that is not only amazing, it is stunning.
The building is 400 feet tall but 350 feet from the ground is the beginning of a man-made waterfall that streams from the building and cascades down the entire side of the skyscraper. The 350-foot drop ends in a collection tank at the bottom of the building. It is absolutely stunning to watch and, although they don’t have it on all the time, it has become quite a tourist attraction for those who are visiting the city as well as for those who work nearby. There is just something amazing about seeing all of that water falling from a man-made object.
Although there is a lot of beauty to this man-made waterfall, there is also some controversy surrounding it as well. One of the reasons why it is controversial is because it costs about ¥800, which is approximately $118 per hour to operate. It has four pumps that pulls the water from the retention pond at the bottom to the top and circulates the recaptured water for the waterfall. That is why they decided to only operate it on special occasions but even when they do, people are telephoning newspapers to report a “massive water leak.”
It looks like there is something else to add to my bucket list. You can see the waterfall in this video:
