Six-Goose Cave Waterfall

　　Six-Goose Cave Waterfall is situated where the Xuefeng Mountain and Wuling Mountain ranges meet in southwestern Hunan, within the vast expanse of the national Huangsang Nature Reserve. Deep in the dense forest, upstream on the Taiping Stream, there is a ten-zhang-high (approximately 33 meters) waterfall that cascades straight down like a white curtain hanging from the sky. The waterfall’s outlet is as thick as four buckets, plunging almost at a right angle, then fanning out about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) wide at the bottom, with thin streams of water pouring into a deep pool. About four zhang above the pool, a sharp rock juts out, breaking the water droplets’ splash — it looks just like a white lotus blooming within the water curtain. Whenever the setting sun shines obliquely, sunlight filters through the curtain, casting a dazzling halo of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple — a truly spectacular sight. To the left of the waterfall is a cave, over a zhang high, half-submerged in the water, inaccessible to people, adding an air of mystery. By the pool, two large rocks are locked together, with water squeezing through the gap — a delightful sight. Standing on the rocks, one enjoys a refreshing breeze carrying fine water droplets, invigorating the spirit. In spring and summer, Chinese orchids, camellias, azaleas, magnolia flowers, and broad-petal white orchids bloom competitively around the waterfall, creating an intoxicatingly beautiful scene that is unmatched in the region.

　　When visitors marvel at how the waterfall remains clear even during heavy rain and does not dry up in prolonged droughts, they all praise the over 200,000 acres of towering trees in the reserve for acting like a giant reservoir. Speaking of this majestic waterfall and its splendid surroundings, there is also a beautiful and touching legend. It is said that after the Seventh Fairy, daughter of the Jade Emperor, descended to the mortal world and married Dong Yong in the famous “Heavenly Match,” her six elder sisters faced strict restrictions. For them, visiting the human world became even harder than a mortal ascending to heaven. How could these pampered, carefree fairies endure such “confinement”? The youngest, the Sixth Sister, felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, and every day she begged her eldest sister to plead with the Queen Mother to allow them to go out, promising never to break the heavenly rules again. By coincidence, that year the peach harvest was poor and the weather was hot. The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, wishing for something refreshing to drink, heard that the plums of the human world were pleasantly sour and sweet, and very tasty. They wanted to try some, so the Supreme Old Lord immediately took on the task of securing this delightful mission for the six fairies. Overjoyed, the fairies immediately rode their auspicious clouds down to the mortal realm. With their divine vision, they spotted red plums dotting the area near the waterfall upstream of the Taiping Stream. They landed their clouds and, with their nimble hands fluttering like colorful butterflies, quickly filled their baskets with plums before returning to the heavens. The Queen Mother, tasting the human fruit for the first time, praised it endlessly and completely forgot about restricting the six fairies. From then on, the six fairies made the waterfall their paradise, visiting daily. When thirsty, they would pick a few plums for a refreshing treat; when hot, they would bathe under the waterfall.

　　One day, while playing and chasing each other under the waterfall, the six fairies were suddenly worried by their eldest sister, who gathered them and pointed to the surrounding mountains, saying, “What if someone peeps? How embarrassing. It would be wonderful if the area were covered in trees, forming a natural shield!” The second sister added, “We can gather seeds from various places. Let each of us contribute ideas.” One suggested going to Penglai Island to ask the Goddess Guanyin for seeds, another proposed visiting Emei Mountain to seek flowers from the old abbot, one wanted to collect the essence of the Five Sacred Mountains, and another planned to gather the finest trees of the southern lands. In the end, the eldest sister assigned tasks and directions. Without delay, the fairies mounted their clouds and flew to different places. Within the time it takes to eat a meal, they returned with a variety of seeds — big and small, colorful, and oddly shaped. Led by the eldest sister, they scattered the seeds across mountaintops, slopes, and foothills. Strangely enough, the seeds sown by the fairies sprouted the next day, grew leaves the day after, and in just ten days or so, had grown into trees as tall as houses. Some even blossomed and bore fruit.

　　If you don’t believe it, you can visit the reserve to see for yourself. There are over 700 species of trees from 100 families, more than 800 types of medicinal plants, and nearly 100 species of ornamental plants. Some are ancient relict species native to China, such as Cathaya argyrophylla, ginkgo, liriodendron, and ablania; others are unique to southern China or Southeast Asia, like Pinus kwangtungensis, Fissistigma oldhamii, Michelia macclurei, and Parakmeria lotungensis; and some have characteristics typical of northern climates, such as birch and hazel. The fruits include kiwifruit, bayberry, chestnut, wild chestnut, hickory nut, jujube, morels, hawthorn, peach, plum, and pear — truly a collection of the best from both southern and northern regions, from around the world, forming a forest park that blooms in all seasons and bears fruit all year round. It includes tropical, subtropical, temperate, and even cold-climate tree species. At the same time, rare animals such as South China tigers, musk deer, sambar deer, clouded leopards, serows, bears, giant salamanders, snapping turtles, Lady Amherst’s pheasants, and silver pheasants gather in the forest, bringing boundless vitality to this ancient woodland.

　　Living in this tranquil and beautiful environment, the Sixth Fairy and her sisters sought respite from the heat. The eldest sister then raised a new concern: “What if a mortal suddenly stumbles upon the pool?” The fourth sister softly suggested, “We could build a cave on the left side of the pool to hide in.” All the sisters agreed. The eldest sister raised her right hand, and a flash of lightning shot from her palm. With a loud boom, a cave was formed — over a zhang wide, half in the water and half above, connected to an underground river, and never before visited by anyone. As fate would have it, the very next day at noon, while the fairies were building the cave, a young and vigorous woodcutter went up the mountain to chop wood. He faintly heard female laughter mixed with the sound of the waterfall. Following the sound, he came upon the clear pool beneath the waterfall, where six beautiful maidens were bathing — each younger and lovelier than the last. Thinking quickly, he rushed forward and grabbed the fairies’ clothes, which were left on a rock by the pool. Caught off guard, the fairies instantly transformed into six white geese and vanished into the cave. The woodcutter waited until nightfall, but the fairies did not emerge. He had no choice but to take the clothes back to his village and distribute them among the villagers. Since then, the Miao women have seemed to base their clothing designs on those fairy garments, wearing clothes that are dazzlingly beautiful. Even octogenarian grandmothers can vividly describe the style of those garments. And from that time on, the magnificent waterfall upstream of the Taiping Stream finally had a name — Six-Goose Cave Waterfall.