China - Shilin Stone Forest

Stone Forest (Shilin) 雲南石林

A national grade scenic and tourist spot

The Stone Forest is known as "One of Earth's Natural Wonders". All visitors to Kunming from home and abroad never hesitate to come here to admire the unique scenes formed by the stones. The Stone Forest is located in Shilin County, 85 kilometres southeast of Kunming. Covering a few hundred square kilometres, stone peaks rise abruptly from the ground in numerous layers like bamboo shoots, forests and pagodas. If you climb to the top of one of the peaks, you can behold thousands of peaks and valleys just like a marvelous vast black forest. The roads wind around between the peaks, taking visitors to ever more unexpected and beautiful scenes. Researches by Chinese and overseas geologists have proved that the Stone Forest is over 270 million years old. The area used to be an ocean. During the Long Geological Period

from the late Permian Period 230million years ago to 2 million years ago , the ocean subsided and giant rocks appeared. During this time the rocks were gradually worn away by water, forming the strange rock forms seem today. Wandering in the Stone Forest is a unique experience .The stone mountains

form strange shapes, the peaks are like poems and pictures, like the vertical "Lotus Peak," the majestic "Rhinoceros Admiring the Moon" and the graceful "Pavilion Observing the Peaks". The layers of mountains seem to be pressing forward; the curious shaped rocks excite people's imagination. In the depth of the Stone

Shilin.The Stone Forest,

About 100km east of Kunming,China is a maze of grey limestone towers reaching 30m.

A walkway let you wander around the weird rock formations.The tall rocks seem to emanate from the ground in the manner of

stalagmites,with many looking like trees made of stone,

creating the illusion of a forest made of stone.

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