Stone Forest (Shilin)

The limestone of the Stone Forest is believed to be more than 270 million years old. Over immense periods, water dissolved the rock along cracks and joints, carving deep grooves and leaving the tall pinnacles standing. UNESCO regards Shilin as the world reference site for this type of pinnacle karst, and in 2007 it became one of the first components of the South China Karst World Heritage property, together with Libo in Guizhou and Wulong in Chongqing.

The area lies in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, and Yi culture is closely bound up with the landscape. The best-known story is that of Ashima, a beautiful Yi girl who was forbidden to marry the man she loved and was turned to stone; a pinnacle in the Minor Stone Forest bears her name. The Yi Torch Festival, held each year on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, is celebrated here with folk dance and wrestling.

Shilin is the homeland of the Yi people, and particularly of the Sani branch, whose women are known for brightly embroidered clothing and headdresses. Many local people work in the scenic area as guides, often in traditional dress, and embroidered goods are sold at stalls near the entrance. The Ashima story, told in Yi song, is a source of local pride. Beyond the scenic area, the county is largely rural, growing crops on red Yunnan earth among scattered outcrops of stone.