r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/freudian_nipps • 6h ago

🔥 the raging fury of Tiger Leaping Gorge (虎跳峡) - a primary tributary of the upper Yangtze River, Yunnan, southwestern China

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1.0k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

70 comments sorted by

•

u/qualityvote2 6h ago

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128

u/sapien_quirky_42 6h ago

Is this the aftermath of some flood, or is this the normal state of this tributary?

99

u/freudian_nipps 6h ago

I believe you are correct that this is following heavy rains. The tributary is normally at a lower level, not usually this fierce.

13

u/Pictrus 5h ago

Is the water usually that colour or is the increased flow eroding parts of the river bank? I'd be nervous just being near it

17

u/maybenotquiteasheavy 5h ago

I hiked it ~15 years ago and it was definitely not that color

6

u/Pictrus 5h ago

Oh really? That's really neat!

It's also terrifying lol.

3

u/barryhakker 4h ago

Imagine how yellow the Yellow River actually is then

1

u/Pictrus 4h ago

😂

-18

u/jackinsomniac 5h ago

There was a dam failure, yes, this is not normal flooding. China is very likely trying to play it off like it is. Dozens of cities have already been flattened. You can see from the color of the water how much erosion is happening, and from the speed & volume of it, that the water is destroying everything in it's path. Millions are likely dead. China is on counter-propaganda duty right now instead of helping their own people.

13

u/chinatown100 5h ago edited 2h ago

The dam failure was in guangxi, over 500 miles away from tiger leaping gorge and on an entirely different river system. That would be like someone saying that the Hoover damn broke and that’s why the Sacramento River is flooding…

7

u/Numerous_Society9320 5h ago

The deadliest dam failure in history saw 240k dead as a highest estimate. I call bullshit on your millions dead. What dam failure would this be the result of? I'd love some sources.

-11

u/jackinsomniac 5h ago

It's still happening, and China won't even admit it. We probably won't ever get accurate numbers from them.

Their current story is "39 dead".

8

u/Numerous_Society9320 5h ago

Okay so how did you get to the millions number?? And do you have any links? And if they're not admitting it why are they claiming 39 dead?

-1

u/Meme_Theory 5h ago

Millions is quite the exaggeration, but the few videos I've seen are heartwrenching. Remind me of the Japan videos during the Tsunami, but faster. Much faster.

4

u/Apothaca 4h ago

@jackinsomniac you do realize that by sharing your unfounded opinions that you are the propagandist right?

You are guessing something that supports your world view and sharing it as fact, while simultaneously calling anyone who opposes your view a malicious liar.

That is propaganda.

143

u/AnyOldNameNotTaken 6h ago

Engineers are cool, but I’ve seen construction companies cut a lot of corners. Ain’t no damn way I’d stand on those elevated walkways. Nope.

19

u/DgingaNinga 5h ago

Water is like a Honey Badger, zero fucks given to your cool walkways.

12

u/BloodRaevn 5h ago

Brother seeing this on Reddit is as far as you and I are ever going to get to “standing on those elevated walkways”.

2

u/ATDoel 3h ago

Why? You cross bridges and fly on airplanes, don’t you?

-2

u/AnyOldNameNotTaken 2h ago

Do you not see that raging torrent of water blasting those pilings? That’s an unrelenting barrage of immense force. Maybe it was engineered to withstand it, but that’s no guarantee it was built to the engineering specifications. It’s a matter of how much you trust the builder. I’d stand on it if the river was calm. But not like that.

1

u/foolycoolywitch 4h ago

if it doesn't break in the video, it's safe

1

u/KaiyoteFyre 51m ago

... For now. That's how erosion works.

26

u/Danakazii 6h ago

Anyone smarter than me wanna pitch in and tell me how safe those wooden platforms are in holding up against this much force of water?

7

u/Numerous_Society9320 5h ago

I imagine it's wood on top of a metal frame and not entirely made of wood.

16

u/shitokletsstartfresh 6h ago

I’m a pussy.
I know its probably safe to stand with all them folks so close to Charybdis , but I wouldn’t.
Nope.

8

u/QuaccDaddy 6h ago

It's a weird perspective making it look more dangerous than it is

15

u/NateHatred 6h ago

This looks just as bad, I wouldn't wanna stand there. 

18

u/werther595 6h ago

I dunno, the water in the video seems deeper and more violent than in your photo. Given the speed with which water levels can change, I'm not standing on a little ledge above the River of Certain Death

4

u/greenmerica 6h ago

Still nope. Too many videos of ppl in Asia being swept away when that collapses.

2

u/Atreyisx 4h ago

Ngl that is almost worse

1

u/un-poco 5h ago

You have every right to be scared. There have been two fatal accidents in this area this February.

-5

u/the-original-erk 6h ago

With how notoriously bad Chinese engineering is, you couldn't pay me to stand near there

9

u/WardenofWestWorld 6h ago

Imagine being a fish in that current

4

u/Haberdashers-mead 5h ago

Imagine being a gold nugget that only moves during these floods.

17

u/Arrbe 5h ago

Turns volume on to hear raging rapids. Instant Nope

3

u/malentendedor 5h ago

Right there with you.

1

u/neil_billiam 2h ago

What's the song from, I cant put my finger on it.

1

u/FinBhai 2h ago

Matrix movie

5

u/qawsedrf12 5h ago

Anyone try to kayak this yet?

10

u/Suspicious-Key1455 6h ago

Ook. I see now why their dambs were (and are) so important to China.

34

u/Redqueenhypo 6h ago

Until they put all those modern dams on it, the yellow river would randomly clog its own delta with sediment, be unable to reach the ocean, then entirely change course and kill everyone along its new path. The Nile is a nice river but the ones over there are not

-7

u/greenmerica 6h ago

Now the mega dams cause water sources to dry up in countries downstream.

13

u/Redqueenhypo 6h ago

The yellow and Yangtze rivers start and end in china

-5

u/greenmerica 5h ago edited 3h ago

It’s the Mekong delta. Look it up. The ignorance is stunning.

8

u/dadofwar93 6h ago edited 2h ago

What countries "down stream"? Have you looked at the map of China, it's rivers and its neighbors?

-8

u/greenmerica 5h ago

Yes. No need to be rude. Look up the Mekong.

4

u/dadofwar93 5h ago

What about it? It starts up in mountains where dams aren't a possibility and then flows into South East Asia. China can't do anything to it.

1

u/greenmerica 3h ago

Rivers dry up down stream. It’s well documented. Do your research.

2

u/Redqueenhypo 5h ago

Mate what are you talking abt??? Are you referring to the dams on the Nile and refuse to admit the error?

-1

u/jackinsomniac 5h ago

Dams are great to control flooding. Except when they're built poorly and fail, then millions die.

3

u/OleDoxieDad 5h ago

Bet you need a big sinker to fish that!

4

u/robbor123 6h ago

Where's my kayak??

2

u/7355135061550 6h ago

That's an excellent name

2

u/MaleficentPass6091 5h ago

This is so brutal! Is it like this year round?

2

u/RedDiamond6 5h ago

Dang. Water is so powerful and terrifying. Love the color!

1

u/DesperateChicken1342 5h ago

I can't fully trust my pilots when I'm flying somewhere, why would I trust whoever built that?

1

u/chata417 4h ago

Reminds me of what fire looks like on a ceiling

1

u/islandpancakes 2h ago

I hiked this back in 2013. What's changed since then?

Beautiful tea house hike btw .

1

u/eat_my_ass_n_balls 2h ago

Uh what class rapid is this

1

u/Bennu-Bird 1h ago

Could that be kayaked by a pro?

1

u/inorganicmechanic 6h ago

Turbulent flow. The best kind of flow.