Journey to the southwest: A visit to China's highest waterfall

Guizhou's geography is punctuated by hills and forests, but is perhaps best known among the Chinese for having the country's highest waterfall.

The 77.8-meter Huangguoshu Falls also figures prominently in Chinese fiction as home to one of the lead characters in the classic Journey to the West.

Two hours by bus from the capital Guiyang, the waterfall is part of a 450-square-kilometer cave and karst complex in the western city of Anshun.

Tour guides try to save the best for last, so visitors are taken on a roundabout route to the falls - through limestone formations amid streams and forests, as well as to a bonsai garden with numerous plant varieties.

An amusing part of the first part of the trip are the narrow stone steps jutting out of streams with metal plates bearing the 365 days of the year.

"Find your birthday, take a photo and then make a wish," said my colleague and companion Xu Lin.

The photo ops invariably cause foot traffic jams, but fortunately the crowds in autumn aren't as big as they are in summer.

Two hours after the tour started, our group finally spotted Huangguoshu Falls, which are named for the yellow fruit trees - or huangguoshu - that surround it.

"That's not the main waterfall, is it?" Xu asked another tourist as we got closer to the cascades.

"It is," he said.

"Huh? It's quite small."

The waterfall was another victim of the drought, another colleague later explained.

Guizhou, as well as the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi and the municipality of Chongqing, have been in need of rainfall for several months.

The drought has left more than 12.6 million people in the region short of drinking water and 3 million hectares of farmland parched, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the nation's top drought-relief authority.

A distinctive feature of Huangguoshu Falls is Water Curtain Cave that enables tourists to stand behind the falls and feel the water rush from the mountains to the pool below.

The 134-meter-long cave is said to be the home of the fictional Monkey King, one of the companions of the Buddhist monk Tripitaka in the comic adventure classic written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

There's something majestic and soothing about waterfalls, no matter how big or small.

There are viewing platforms and seats along the mountain path leading to Huangguoshu, and a contemplative minute or two will make the trek worthwhile. Cranes flit on the rocks surrounding the waterfall pool, then bask in the mist, sunshine and fresh air.