Huangguoshu Waterfall is a broad waterfall on the Baishui River near Anshun in western Guizhou, about 78 metres high and some 100 metres wide, one of the largest waterfalls in China and Asia. It is the centrepiece of a karst landscape of falls, caves and stone forests that has been a national scenic area since 1982, and the Water Curtain Cave behind it lets visitors watch the fall from inside.
- National scenic area · 1982
Key facts
Overview
The Baishui River — the White Water River — drops over a limestone step in a single wide curtain into the Rhinoceros Pool below, throwing up spray that can be felt hundreds of metres away and that forms rainbows on sunny afternoons. In the summer rainy season the fall is at its most powerful; in the dry winter it thins into separate strands.
Huangguoshu is only the largest of a series of falls within a few kilometres: upstream the wide, low Doupotang fall, and downstream the stone gardens and channels of Tianxingqiao. Buyei villages, with houses and walls built of stone slabs, lie along the river.
How the landscape formed
The waterfall is a product of karst. The Baishui River flows over thick limestones of the Guizhou plateau, and the falls form where the river crosses a steep step, possibly the remnant of a collapsed cave roof, and the headwall retreats as water dissolves and undercuts the rock. Travertine deposited by lime-rich water builds up on the fall face and in the channels. Around the fall, underground drainage has hollowed out caves, including the Water Curtain Cave, a series of passages running behind the falling water. At Tianxingqiao, downstream, the river splits into many channels among stone pillars and small tree-covered islands.
Highlights
Huangguoshu Falls
黄果树大瀑布
The main fall, about 78 metres high and 100 metres wide, into the Rhinoceros Pool.
Water Curtain Cave
水帘洞
A cave passage behind the falls, with openings that look out through the water.
Rhinoceros Pool
犀牛潭
The plunge pool at the foot of the fall, whose spray fills the valley.
Doupotang Falls
陡坡塘瀑布
An upstream fall more than 100 metres wide but only about 20 metres high, known for its roar when the river is in flood.
Tianxingqiao
天星桥
A downstream area of stone forest, water channels and small islands linked by stepping stones.
Dishuitan Falls
滴水滩瀑布
A chain of high falls in a side valley, dropping in several stages.
Plants and wildlife
The spray zone around the fall supports lush mosses, ferns and trees, while the surrounding karst hills carry secondary forest and bamboo. Much of the valley has long been farmed, and the scenic area protects the vegetation of the river gorges.
Plants
Mosses
苔藓
Thick carpets cover the rocks in the permanent spray around the fall.
Natural bonsai
盆景
At Tianxingqiao, trees rooted in rock pillars grow into miniature, bonsai-like shapes.
Wildlife
Rhesus macaque
猕猴
Present in the forest of the gorges.
Egrets
白鹭
Wade along the river channels and ricefields.
Culture and legend
The fall lies in the homeland of the Buyei, a Tai-speaking people whose villages of stone-slab houses stand along the Baishui River. The Ming geographer and traveller Xu Xiake visited in 1638 and wrote the first detailed description of the fall in his travel diaries. The name comes from the yellow-fruited trees that grew by the river.
Xu Xiake
徐霞客
The Ming traveller whose diaries record the fall; a statue and inscriptions commemorate his visit.
Shitouzhai
石头寨
A Buyei village built almost entirely of stone, near the fall, known for batik.
Buyei
布依族
The people of the Baishui valley, known for their stone architecture and indigo batik.
History
1638
Xu Xiake's visit
The traveller's diary gives the first detailed written description of the fall.
1982
National scenic area
Huangguoshu was listed in the first group of national key scenic areas of China.
Through the seasons
Spring
Mild with growing flow from April; the vegetation is fresh and green.
Summer
The rainy season from June to September brings the largest volume of water and the most spray; paths near the fall are very wet.
Autumn
Flow remains strong in early autumn, with clearer weather; a good balance of water and comfort.
Winter
The dry season: the fall is much thinner and splits into separate streams, but the area is quiet.
Routes and ways in
Main fall and Water Curtain Cave
Paths descend through the gorge to viewpoints at the foot of the fall, then climb through the Water Curtain Cave to the far side; a long escalator helps with the climb out.
Tianxingqiao
A walk on stepping stones and paths through the stone gardens and channels downstream, with numbered stones for each day of the year.
Doupotang
A short walk from the upper area to the wide fall above the main one.
Practical notes
- Expect to get wet near the fall and in the Water Curtain Cave, especially in summer; a raincoat and non-slip shoes help.
- Paths involve many steps; allow most of a day for the main fall, Tianxingqiao and Doupotang.
- Anshun is the nearest city and has high-speed rail links with Guiyang; the scenic area lies to the south-west of the city.
- The Longgong caves and the Tunpu villages near Anshun can be combined with the fall.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Guizhou Provincial People's Government — Guizhou Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Anshun Municipal People's Government — Anshun Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Xu Xiake, Travel Diaries (徐霞客游记) — Chinese Text Project (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Guizhou
Related
Province
Guizhou →
Guizhou is a mountainous province on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau in south-west China, almost entirely made up of hills and karst. Its capital is…
City · Guizhou
Anshun →
Anshun is a prefecture-level city in west-central Guizhou, on the old road from Guiyang to Yunnan. Its jurisdiction includes the Huangguoshu…
City · Guizhou
Guiyang →
Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou province, a city of green karst hills on the Nanming River at about 1,100 metres above sea level. Founded as a Ming…