Shimen Waterfall

　　The Shimen Waterfall cluster originates from Dongbei Village. The canyon on both sides of the stream is about 300 meters wide at the top and about 50 meters wide at the bottom, with a slope of around 60 degrees, forming a “V” shape. Its water flow and volume rank first among the Three Great Waterfalls of East China (Dalongqiu, Shiliang, and Shimen Waterfall). Since its source is a forested area with strong water retention capacity, the water volume remains relatively high even in winter, making it a “unique spectacle of East China.”

　　From the first to the fifth tier, the stream flows through a distance of about 800 meters with a total drop of approximately 180 meters, covering a catchment area of 5 square kilometers. The first-tier waterfall has a drop of 20 meters, a width of 2 meters, and a pool area of about 150 square meters, with the deepest part reaching about 5 meters. In front of the first-tier waterfall, there is an 80-meter-long iron suspension bridge connecting the eastern and western rock walls, turning a natural barrier into a passable path.

　　The second-tier waterfall has a drop of about 22 meters, a width of about 2.5 meters, a pool area of about 120 square meters, and a maximum depth of about 2 meters.

　　The third-tier waterfall has a drop of about 7.5 meters, a width of about 1.5 meters, a pool area of about 50 square meters, and a depth of about 1 meter.

　　The fourth-tier waterfall has a drop of about 10 meters, a pool area of about 20 square meters, and a maximum depth of about 2 meters.

　　The fifth-tier waterfall is located at the very end of Shimen Cave. The waterfall cascades straight down from a steep cliff about 5 meters wide and 112.5 meters high, resembling dancing green dragons and white serpents.

　　The pool beneath the waterfall is also called Jiyin Pool, with an area of about 1,500 square meters, a maximum depth of about 10 meters, and crystal-clear water where fish can be seen swimming. To maintain the waterfall’s water flow, a reservoir with a capacity of 160,000 cubic meters was built in 2002 in Dongbei Village, upstream of the first-tier waterfall. Although the waterfall’s flow varies slightly with the seasons, the rainy season is the best time to view it.

　　Shimen Waterfall is composed of bluish-gray limestone with hard rock quality. The formation and development of the waterfall are related to geological faults. The mountain is controlled by a tensional fault zone, where mutual repulsion caused fracturing and faulting. Over time, the continuous erosion by flowing water along the fault plane led to the formation of the waterfall, which continuously impacts the ground below. Surface runoff converges in areas with cliffs and significant terrain drops, eventually pouring down to form numerous spectacular waterfalls.

　　Address: Shimen Cave Scenic Area, Qingtian County, Lishui City

　　Type: Geological Landscape Waterfall