The Stone Forest National Park is located in Shilin Yi
Autonomous County of Yunnan Province, 80 kilometers southeast of
Kunming City. It covers 350 square kilometers and consists of Major
Stone Forest, Naigu Stone Forest, Changhu Lake, Grand Waterfall,
etc.
Over the past 300 million years the Stone Forest area has
experienced a vicissitude from sea to land, from lowland to plateau
as a result of earth movement. The initial carbonate rock which
formed in ocean was wizardly shaped into "stone forest" landform.
During its evolution the Stone Forest were once covered
respectively by fiery volcanic lava and lake water, in this sense
the formation of the Stone Forest is truly a geologic legend in the
world.
The Stone Forest displays the richest morphological features.
Due to its unique geological evolution, numerous stone forest
clusters that formed in different geological periods coexist in
varied topography, each with its particular features. There are
pinnacle-shaped, column-shaped, mushroom-shaped, and pagoda-shaped
groups. Since almost all the typical pinnacle karst types can be
identified in the Stone Forest, the park is acclaimed
internationally the "Museum of Stone Forest karst".
Walking through the Stone Forest, visitors marvel at the natural
stone masterpieces and are bewitched by the intricate formations.
The magnificent, strange and steep landscape creates countless
labyrinthine vistas, including:
Major Stone Forest,?Small Stone Forest and Naigu Stone
Forest, all of which feature stones in various formations. Animals,
plants, and even human figures can be found here. Some are elegant,
some are rugged, and each is lifelike with its own distinguishing
characteristics.
Subterranean Stone Forest in Zhiyun Cave, an underground stone
forest distributed among several caves and occupying a total area
of about three square kilometers.
Strange Wind Cave, composed of Penfeng Cave, Hongxi Spring and
an underground river. From August to November, gales lasting two to
three minutes sweep out of the cave every 30 minutes.
Long Lake is a karsts lake that is three kilometers (two miles)
long but only 300 meters (zero point two miles) wide. The lake
features underwater stalagmites and stalactites and a small island
in the center of the water.
The source of the Dadie Waterfall, Ba River, is a branch of
Nanpan River. In the rainy season, up to 150 cubic meters (196
cubic yards) of water per square inch plummet down the 88 meter
(288 feet) drop.
Every year, around the 24th and 25th day of the sixth lunar
month, the Sani people gather in the Stone Forest to celebrate
their "Torch Festival". Visitors are welcome to enjoy the folk
dances and the wrestling competitions of the Sani youngsters.
(China.org.cn)