Attractions > Kunming Stone Forest Scenic Area
Overview
Chinese Name: 昆明市石林风景区English Name: Kunming City, Stone Forest Scenic Area
Climate Conditions: Subtropical low-latitude plateau mountain monsoon climate
Type of Scenic Area: Natural landscape, Cultural landscape, Thematic landscape
Recommand Itinerary: 1 Day Stone Forest Tour
Background
The Kunming City Stone Forest Scenic Area (昆明市石林风景区) is also known as the Yunnan Stone Forest. It is located within the Shilin Yi Autonomous County in Kunming City, Yunnan Province. The area of the karst landform reaches over 1,100 square kilometers, with a protected area of 350 square kilometers and is designated as a national-level 5A scenic spot.The Stone Forest mainly consists of karst landforms and is characterized by a subtropical low-latitude plateau mountain monsoon climate, featuring a spring-like environment year-round, with distinct dry and wet seasons. The main river in the area is the Bajing River, with over 80 natural lakes such as Chang Lake and Moon Lake, and there are nine known underground rivers. The scenic area is home to 21 families, 41 genera, and 87 species of ferns, while seed plants comprise 51 families, 574 genera, and 990 species. It is rich in vertebrates, with 185 species including 42 species of mammals, and is noted as one of the main habitats of the endangered species, the white-bellied pheasant, as recognized by IUCN in 1988.
Development of the scenic area began in the Ming Dynasty when Governor Wang Liang developed Zhi Yun Cave. In the 28th year of the Republic of China (1939), the government of Lu'nan County issued regulations for the protection of the Stone Forest scenic area, marking the first administrative regulation for its preservation. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Stone Forest joined the tourism service industry on April 1, 1978. On November 8, 1982, the State Council approved it as a national scenic spot. By 1986, the Na Gu Stone Forest, Zhi Yun Cave, and Da Die Waterfall were fully opened to the public. Notable attractions include the Large and Small Stone Forests, Chang Lake, Da Die Waterfall, Guishan National Forest Park, and Na Gu Stone Forest.
The Stone Forest Scenic Area is famous worldwide for its majestic, unique, perilous, beautiful, and tranquil scenery, earning it the reputation of being “the world's first wonder.” It is one of the most renowned karst landscape tourist destinations and is referred to as a “natural museum of geomorphic forms” by international karst researchers.
Important Scenic Spots
Stone Forest Scenic Area
The Stone Forest Scenic Area is a typical concentrated area of pure gray limestone karst. The main rock types are pale gray pure limestone and dolomitic limestone. Within the five sectors, including the Large Stone Forest, Small Stone Forest, Banshao Mountain, Lizi Garden, and Wan Nian Lingzhi (Reishi Mushroom), various stone peaks are distributed in sword-shaped, columnar, tower-like, mushroom-shaped, balanced, and irregular forms.Large Stone Forest
Located 10 kilometers north of the Stone Forest County Town, the Large Stone Forest is comprised of dense stone peaks resembling a stone basin. The stone forest features upright, abrupt formations with smooth lines and a light bluish-gray color, with the tallest independent rock column exceeding 40 meters in height. Typical attractions include "Lotus Peak," "Sword Peak Pool," "Qianjun Yifa," and "Jixiang Tongren," with the most famous being the "Stone Forest Scenic Area" inscription by Long Yun. This area is a representative attraction of the Stone Forest Scenic Area, serving as the gateway to the stone forest maze and is composed of the Wangfeng Pavilion, stone inscriptions, lawns, and green trees. Below the Wangfeng Pavilion is a spacious and flat area surrounded by stone peaks, with a grassy patch about 1 meter high in front of the right stone peak. The stone peaks are diverse in shape, with many inscribed stones. The characters for "Stone Forest" were inscribed by Long Yun during his inspection in 1931, with 周钟岳 (Zhou Zhongyue) as the calligrapher.Chang Hu Scenic Area
Located about 25 kilometers from the Large and Small Stone Forests, in Weize Village, Chang Hu Town, it is nestled among mountains at an elevation of 1907 meters. The lake's shape resembles that of a slender young woman, and according to local legends, it is the hometown of A-Shi-Ma. Since the lake lies hidden among the lush mountains, it is seldom visited by tourists and is often referred to as the “Hidden Lake.” Main attractions include Du Shi Mountain, Da Jian Mountain, Er Jian Mountain, San Jian Mountain, Mo Pan Mountain, Penglai Island, and Round Lake, covering an area of 3.94 square kilometers. Chang Lake is a lava lake supplied by underground water, with a perimeter of 5 kilometers, a width of 300 meters, and an average depth of 24 meters. The water is clear and unpolluted, surrounded by mountains with over 95% forest coverage. The lake has small islands, and the shores are lined with Yunnan pine forests, with gentle terrain and many small lakes around, characterized by fresh, clean air and serene beauty.Nai Gu Stone Forest Scenic Area
Located about 8 kilometers north of the Large and Small Stone Forests, 17 kilometers from Shilin County Town, the Na Gu Stone Forest is mentioned in the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi era “Lu Liang Prefecture Record” as “Shimen Peak, along the western forty miles to the place called Shimen Beacon.” The area is named “Hei Song Yan” (Black Pine Rock) for its resemblance to a lush pine forest when viewed from above, and “Na Gu” in the local Yi language means “black.” The Nai Gu Stone Forest Scenic Area is approximately 10 square kilometers and is adjacent to the Stone Forest Taiwan Settler Entrepreneurship Park. The stones in the Na Gu Stone Forest are mostly castle-shaped, tower-shaped, and mushroom-shaped. In addition to ridge-like and sword-shaped pillars resembling those found in the Small and Large Stone Forests, many pointed stone columns exist. Their tops are separated while connected at their bases, forming stone walls, stone cities, and stone formations. The stone peaks are black, contrasting sharply with the bluish-gray stones in the Stone Forest and providing a vast area with a rugged, primitive beauty. The entrance features Baiyun Lake, with a level surface like a mirror, clear water, and plump fish.Da Die Shui Scenic Area
Located southwest of Shilin County, 27 kilometers from the Small and Large Stone Forests, the Da Die Water Scenic Area consists of various attractions, including Da Die Water, Xiao Die Water, Xianren Cave, White Dove Garden, Half Waterfall Garden, and Qingshui River. The Xiao Die Waterfall has a drop of over 20 meters and a width of about 10 meters, with water cascading into a pool featuring a “Fish Giant Rock.” About 1.5 kilometers west of Xiao Die Waterfall, the Bajing River leaps from a cliff to form the Da Die Waterfall. The waterfall has a height of 92 meters, which is 18 meters higher than the Huangguoshu Waterfall in Guizhou. During the rainy season, its width can reach over 60 meters, making it the largest waterfall in Yunnan and the first waterfall of the Pearl River. The waterfall is majestic, resembling mist collapsing and clouds falling, with water mist creating rainbows in the sunlight.Guishan National Forest Park
Guishan National Forest Park, situated in Shilin County, is named “Old Turtle Mountain” due to its majestic and perilous mountains resembling the raised back of a sea turtle. It was later phonetically translated to “Old Guishan.” The northeastern part of Guishan features gentle terrain, while the southwest is steep, with cliffs and forested peaks merging seamlessly. The mountain reaches an altitude of 2601 meters, stretching 14 kilometers north-south and 10 kilometers wide, covering a total area of 3,206 hectares, which is part of the Yunling Mountain range. The Guishan area widely features ancient soluble carbonate sedimentary rock, and limestone has formed classic karst landforms. The area is dotted with extraordinary peaks, caves, and sinkholes unique to its landscape. The colorful rock walls and high cliffs of Guishan are intermittently visible amid the dense forest. Guishan’s forest coverage reaches 80%, featuring diverse forest vegetation. In spring and summer, wildflowers such as clover, colorful leaf grass, Dian purple grass, stone oak, and gentian bloom profusely, contributing to the park's healthy ecological environment, which is home to various wildlife, including pangolins, masked civets, and muntjacs.Cultural Activities
Mi Zhi Festival
The Mi Zhi Festival, exclusively for male participants, is known as the only men's festival in the world. It lasts seven days from the Mouse Day to the Horse Day in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar. Each Sani village has a patch of Mi Zhi forest, regarded as the village's sacred grove, where cutting and hunting are prohibited. The festival's rituals are held in this sacred forest. At dawn on Mouse Day, all priests enter the Mi Zhi forest. The Mi Zhi God is represented by a centuries-old tree in this forest. The rituals involve the main host sacrificing a pure white sheep to the Mi Zhi God, while Bi Mo (a local priest) recites scriptures to pray for peace for villagers and livestock, good weather, and bountiful harvests. The priests prepare picnic dishes primarily made of lamb and taro. In the Mi Zhi forest, people can express all their frustrations and even openly insult each other, with the insulted individuals having to respond with smiles and toasting with drinks.Torch Festival
The Torch Festival in Shilin has a long history, with grand celebrations that have been passed down for over two thousand years. On the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, the Yi people don festive attire and express joy through wrestling, bullfighting, singing, and dancing to celebrate harvests and pray for peace. It is renowned as the “Oriental Carnival.” Every year during the festival, Shilin conducts traditional ceremonies for sending away the old fire and obtaining new fire. Locals believe that “fire originates from the heavens,” and during the fire-gathering ceremony, Bi Mo kneels reverently at the towering Old Guishan and strikes flint with a fire striker to gather sacred fire using the ancient method of "striking stone for fire." They then light torches symbolizing harvest and hope, blessing the Yi people with health and safety. As night falls, bonfires are lit, and the Yi people, dressed in finery, sing and dance to the sound of the large Sanxian instrument.Local Specialties
Stone Forest Soup Pot
The Stone Forest Soup Pot is an essential and delicious dish for traditional festivities, celebrations, blessings, and weddings among the Yi people of Shilin. The beef soup pot uses local yellow cattle as the main ingredient, while the lamb soup pot features Guishan black goats. After slaughtering, they are cooked in a large iron pot over fire, resulting in a delicious soup pot made from beef or lamb. Served with dipping sauces made from coriander, mint, scallions, ginger, garlic, chili, and salt, it is flavorful and aromatic. The Yi people believe that consuming the soup pot beef during the Torch Festival leads to robust health, vitality throughout the year, and the elimination of ailments.Milk Cake
Milk Cake is one of Shilin's specialties. Fresh goat milk is boiled and mixed with an appropriate amount of acidic liquid to cause it to curdle. It is then pressed into blocks and dried to create the milk cake (a type of cheese). There are many ways to enjoy milk cake: it can be steamed, boiled, fried, or cooked in stews. It can also be eaten raw or made into dishes like ham-stuffed steamed milk cake and green peas with milk cake. Many Sani people in the mountainous regions prepare milk cake as a festive delicacy during the Spring Festival. Shilin milk cake is made from pure fresh goat milk, which is characterized by its authentic taste and strong aroma, containing a variety of minerals, amino acids, lactic acid, and enzymes; it is a nutritious dish that can be pan-fried, deep-fried, steamed, or boiled. Water-fried milk cake and fire-stuffed milk cake (slices of ham stuffed with milk cake slices and steamed) are traditional signature dishes of Shilin.Stone Forest Marinated Tofu
Stone Forest Marinated Tofu is made from tofu and is pickled with a formula consisting of salt, chili powder, star anise powder, Sichuan pepper powder, and other ingredients through traditional craft methods. The resulting Stone Forest marinated tofu is neatly shaped, brightly colored, with a golden inner portion, delicate and rich in taste, and delicious. Its main varieties include wine-marinated tofu, oil-marinated tofu, chicken-zong marinated tofu, and dried mushroom marinated tofu, each with its own distinct character.
