Cheonjiyeon Waterfall is a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

on Jeju Island,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Literally, the name Cheonjiyeon means

sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

(Ch'eon) connected with land (ji). It is one of the main

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

s on Jeju-do. It is high and wide. Though water always falls in one particular area, depending on the amount of recent rain, the water may spread out. At the bottom of the waterfall is an artificial

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

that is deep. Two small

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

s help keep the water at a specific level. Large volcanic rocks form landbridges that allow

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

s to pose for

photograph A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now create ...

s in front of the falls. These falls are characterized by its

trachyte Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava enriched with silica and al ...

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomi ...

rocks. The source of Cheonjiyeon Waterfall is a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

that comes out of the floor of the Somban Stream. The stream Yeonhee-chun is the source of the waterfall. The waterfall is one of the three famous waterfalls of Jeju, the other two being

Cheonjeyeon Waterfall Cheonjeyeon Waterfall is a three-tier waterfall located on Jeju Island. Cold water flows out of the ceiling of a cave to make the waterfall. Between the precipice of the waterfall and the lower clay layer, water springs out. In first cascade, th ...

and

Jeongbang Waterfall Jeongbang Waterfall is a famous waterfall on Jeju Island. The waterfall is high and is very close to the ocean. Depending on the level of recent rainfall, it can be up wide. The source of the waterfall is the stream Donghong-chun. Located near ...

. In order to reach the waterfall, visitors must walk on a landscaped

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

. Near the beginning of the path is a traditional

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n raft called t'e-u (테우), symbolizing

Korean culture The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria before the division of Korea in 1945. Manchuria refers to the ancient geographical and historical region in Northeast Asia, includ ...

. It is the most popular at night, because the falls are illuminated. At night, the "Hidden Face," a formation of rocks, may be visible with the night lights, and the falls are popular for lovers. The Cheonjiyeon Waterfall is also known for its diverse

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

and

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

life, as the path to the waterfall goes through a garden of subtropical plants. Migratory

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

s, ''Elaeocarpus sylvestris'' var. ''ellipticus'' ( Natural Monument no. 163), ''

Psilotum nudum ''Psilotum nudum'', the whisk fern, is a fernlike plant. Like the other species in the order Psilotales, it lacks roots. Its name, ''Psilotum nudum'', means "bare naked" in Latin, because it lacks (or seems to lack) most of the organs of typica ...

'', and '' Castanopsis cuspidata'' var. ''sieboldii'', '' Xylosma congesta'', and ''

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controversy ...

'' are some examples of the

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

around the falls. Just before reaching the falls on the path, one must cross a bridge from which a wide variety of

koi or more specifically , are colored varieties of the Amur carp ('' Cyprinus rubrofuscus'') that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens. Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of ''C. rubrofuscus'' ke ...

fish can be seen below. Along the way are three piles of stacked or balanced rocks that are a common sight throughout the whole of South Korea. In olden days, a person would place a small stone under a larger stone and pray for the health and prosperity of their family. Its pond is known for being a habitat of the marbled eel (''

Anguilla marmorata The giant mottled eel (''Anguilla marmorata''), also known as the marbled eel, is a species of tropical anguillid eel that is found in the Indo-Pacific and adjacent freshwater habitats. Description Similar to other anguillids, the giant mottled ...

''), which is mainly active at night. Known as the ''Mutae'' (''무태'') eel, it is classified in

as Natural Monument no. 27.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Cheonjiyeon Waterfall
Cheonjiyeon Waterfall Tourist InformationMap of Cheonjiyeon Waterfall's location
Waterfalls of South Korea

See also

References

External links