May and early June have been the prevalence of visiting Zhangjiajie Forest Park in southwestern China’s Hunan province, before the oppressive summer craze swept.
The stunning area is famous for its huge quartz-Sanderstone column formation, which is said to inspire floating landscapes that appear in the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar.”
But this year, as tourists pour into the area, a massive government-ordered cleanup operation is underway, with crew members dragging a bag of garbage from ancient caves, most reportedly abandoned a decade ago.
The long-standing environmental damage discovered in Zhangjiajie-managed Cili County made its debut in March after several Cave Explorers released footage of the Garbage Canyon on Chinese social media platform Douyin.
In May, the clips became popular, sparking anger across the country and prompted state media and local authorities to investigate.
Zhangjiajie’s karst caves are one of the most eye-catching natural wonders in the region, forming millions of years due to water erosion. Inside, they usually have visible and hidden streams as well as dramatic limestone formations.
A series of widely shared reporting footage, posted by a small spot called “Xiaozheng”, shows plastic bottles, cans, and even plastic bottles marked with chemicals, covering rocks and underground water bodies in multiple caves.
According to Spelunker, the most shocking clip was released on May 29, showing the pile of garbage “up to seven to eight layers.”
In one video, plastic waste can be seen covering the entire surface, prompting the recording person to say, “Look at the thickness of the garbage, I can even walk on it.”
Caves, full of household waste, animal waste
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that environmental protection is the country’s top priority.
Officials announced on June 9 that 51 tons of garbage had been removed from two hit caves.
Many bags are full of household waste, abandoned between 2010 and 2015 after the local government banned the burning of garbage but did not implement any alternatives to waste removal.
During this period, dumping garbage into caves is not only common, but in some cases it is organized. Local officials and residents told state media that the village would send trucks to collect garbage and dump it into karst caves, a routine waste disposal habit at the time.
According to state media reports, a resident said his father lived just 200 meters from the cave and he always threw the garbage into it himself “for convenience”.
CCTV said: “Disposable items, worn clothes, plastic bags…all kinds of garbage are here.”
In addition to household waste, authorities said they are also dealing with animal waste.
In a video shared in April, deep into a large karst cave, fertilizer can be seen pouring into holes in the ceiling to form a sludge pool while dyeing white stalactite black.
According to state media reports, Xili County is the main pork producer in Hunan, raising 700,000 pigs every year. It is reported that since footage of local pollution appeared in March, local authorities have begun investigations into illegal waste emissions on 12 livestock farms.
Chinese social media has been responding harshly to cleaning up news.
“What’s next? How long does it take for nearby caves and water to recover? Hundreds or thousands of years?” wrote a Weibo user.
Another said: “The individuals and entities involved should be held liable and face serious consequences.”
Officials told state media that two-thirds of the 206 karst caves inspected in the area were contaminated to some extent. Meanwhile, it was reported that due to the discovery of toxic air in the cave, the cleaning was suspended from June 9 to June 12.
According to experts, it may be too late to reverse the losses.
“Once pollutants penetrate into the karst aquifers, they quickly pollute downstream surface water, causing water quality to deteriorate and damage aquatic ecosystems,” Shuai Huan, deputy director of the local environmental geological survey center, told CCTV.
This is not an isolated incident. Last year, prosecutors in Biji City, Jizhou Province confirmed that more than 10 local karst caves were contaminated with household waste, sewage discharge and livestock farm waste after environmentalists reported.
Famous outdoor attractions in UNESCO listed areas
As the cranes in Xili County pulled up the garbage bags, the crowds around Zhangjiajie Forest Park continued to swell. According to state media reports, during the holiday break from May 31 to June 2, the popular website had nearly 400,000 visitors, 10% higher than the same period last year.
Zhangjiajie Forest Park is part of the larger Wulingyuan scenic area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering 100 square miles of Hunan Province.
In January 2010, Zhangjiajie officially renamed one of its iconic pillars, “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain”, to celebrate his film reputation, after it was reported that James Cameron drew inspiration from the pillars of the region to create some of the huge scenery in his sci-fi films.
“Zhangjiajie not only belongs to the world, but has entered the world,” said a park official at the renaming ceremony.
Today, the park has become home to many popular attractions, including the 1,070-foot-tall glass bailong elevator.
It is said to have been built in 2002 and is the tallest outdoor elevator in the world. It travels up and down the cliff side of the national park and consists of three double-deckers that can transport up to 46 tourists each time in less than two minutes.
The area is also home to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, where visitors can experience the world’s tallest bungee jump.
One of Zhangjiajie’s latest members is Tianti, which means “ladder” in Chinese. According to state media reports, the hanging ladder is 551 feet long (168 meters) and extends to a height of 5,000 feet between the two cliffs.
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account on CNN.com
