The Stone Beam Waterfall

The Stone Beam Waterfall is located in the Tiantai Mountain, 22 kilometers north of Tiantai County in Zhejiang Province. It is the essence of the 'Tang Poetry Road' in eastern Zhejiang. Amidst the lofty mountains and verdant valleys, a stone beam stretches across the sky, and the waterfall gushes down, 'stirring wind and thunder day and night,' captivating literati and poets throughout the ages, leaving behind countless magnificent poems, and is acclaimed as 'the number one wonder of the world.' The ancient Fangguang Temple near the waterfall is the sanctuary of five hundred Arhats. Zhongfangguang Temple is a Zen Buddhist sanctuary. The Stone Beam Waterfall is not more spectacular than other waterfalls, but it has its unique features: first, there is a huge stone beam about two zhang in length, spanning between two cliffs, with its slightly arched surface resembling a crouching giant python. The waters of Jinxi and Daxingkeng streams come from the left and right, converging here. The rocky stream bed is uneven, causing the water to cascade down in layers, each cascade stirring up a burst of white spray, then tumbling down again. After four such cascades, the stream finally reaches the vicinity of the stone beam amidst the white waves, forming a huge snow wave group, rushing towards the stone beam. Some of it is pushed back, but most of it passes under the beam and falls into the deep, secluded valley below, making a deafening sound. Near the Stone Beam Waterfall, there is also a stone inscription of the words 'The Number One Wonder' by the great calligrapher Mi Fu from the Song Dynasty, and the inscription 'Stone Beam Waterfall' by Kang Youwei, a leader of the reformist faction in the late Qing Dynasty. Inside the belly of the stone beam, there is also an inscription 'Visited Again' by the county magistrate Liu Ao.