How did the Stone Forest form?

Rainwater and soil water, slightly acidic from dissolved carbon dioxide, dissolved thick beds of Permian limestone along vertical cracks over millions of years. The blocks between the widening cracks remained as pillars, and the removal of the soil cover exposed them.

Ashima is the heroine of an oral epic of the Sani, a branch of the Yi people. She resists a forced marriage and is carried away by a flood, surviving as an echo in the hills. A rock in the Minor Stone Forest is identified with her.

Is the Stone Forest a World Heritage site?

Yes. It was inscribed in 2007 as part of the South China Karst serial site, which also includes karst landscapes in Guizhou, Chongqing and Guangxi.

Karst landscape · Yunnan

Stone Forest (Shilin)

石林 (Shílín)

Limestone pillars of the Yunnan plateau, home of the Sani Yi

The Stone Forest (Shilin) is a field of tall, grey limestone pillars on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau south-east of Kunming, the type example of the pinnacle karst that Chinese geologists call shilin. It is one of the original components of the South China Karst World Heritage site (2007) and lies in the homeland of the Sani, a branch of the Yi people, whose legend of Ashima is tied to one of its rocks.

UNESCO World Heritage (natural) — South China Karst · 2007
UNESCO Global Geopark · 2004
National scenic area · 1982

Key facts

Rock: Permian limestone, about 270 million years old[1]
Plateau elevation: about 1,700–1,900 m
UNESCO World Heritage: 2007 (South China Karst)[1]
UNESCO Global Geopark: 2004[2]
Location: Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Kunming, Yunnan

Overview

Across a plateau at around 1,700 to 1,900 metres, thousands of blade- and column-shaped limestone pinnacles stand in dense clusters, many taller than 20 metres, separated by narrow clefts, pools and grassy clearings. From a distance the clusters look like a forest of stone — the literal meaning of the name, which has become the scientific term for this type of landform.

The core of the area, the Major and Minor Stone Forests, is laid out with paths, pavilions and lakes; the Naigu Stone Forest to the north-east is darker and less visited. The surrounding county, Shilin Yi Autonomous County, is the heartland of the Sani, whose embroidery, music and torch festival are part of the place.

How the landscape formed

The pillars are carved from thick beds of Permian limestone laid down in a shallow sea around 270 million years ago. After uplift, rain and soil water charged with carbon dioxide dissolved the rock along vertical joints, first beneath a cover of red soil and then in the open once the soil was stripped away. The result is a landscape of pinnacles with fluted, sharp-edged tops and deep grooves (karren) on their sides. Volcanic basalt that once covered parts of the area protected some of the limestone, and at Naigu the rock is a darker, more massive dolomitic limestone. The Stone Forest represents the classic pinnacle-karst type within the South China Karst series.

Highlights

Major Stone Forest
大石林 (Dà Shílín)
The densest cluster of pinnacles, threaded with narrow paths and stairways and with a lookout pavilion above.
Minor Stone Forest
小石林 (Xiǎo Shílín)
More open groups of pillars among lawns and pools, including the rock identified with Ashima.
Ashima rock
阿诗玛 (Āshīmǎ)
A pillar said to resemble a young Sani woman with a basket on her back, the heroine of the Sani epic.
Sword Peak Pond
剑峰池 (Jiànfēng Chí)
A pinnacle rising sheer from a small pool in the Major Stone Forest.
Naigu Stone Forest
乃古石林 (Nǎigǔ Shílín)
A separate area of dark, massive pillars and karst depressions to the north-east; Naigu is Yi for “black”.
Long Lake
长湖 (Cháng Hú)
A narrow karst lake among wooded hills south of the main site.

Culture and legend

The Sani are a branch of the Yi people, and the Stone Forest is at the centre of their homeland. Their oral epic Ashima tells of a girl abducted by the son of a landlord and rescued by her brother, only to be swept away by a flood and turned into an echo among the rocks; it was collected and published in the 1950s, filmed in 1964 and is listed as national intangible cultural heritage. The Torch Festival in the sixth lunar month brings wrestling, bullfighting, dancing and processions with torches. Sani women are known for their colourful embroidered headdresses and bags.

Sani people
撒尼人 (Sāní rén)
A Yi subgroup speaking their own Yi language; villages such as Wukeshu around the Stone Forest keep their traditions.
Torch Festival
火把节 (Huǒbǎ Jié)
The main Yi festival, held in the sixth lunar month with torchlight, wrestling and music.
Big three-string lute
大三弦 (dà sānxián)
A large plucked lute accompanying the lively Sani dances.

History

c. 270 million years ago
Limestone deposited
Thick carbonate beds formed in a Permian sea; later uplift and dissolution carved them into pinnacles.
1931
Stone Forest named in calligraphy
The provincial governor Long Yun had the characters 石林 carved on a pillar, which fixed the name for the site.
1964
Film Ashima
A feature film based on the Sani epic made the Stone Forest known throughout China.
1982
National scenic area
Listed among the first national scenic areas of China.
2004
Global Geopark
Among the first Chinese members of the UNESCO-supported Global Geoparks Network.
2007
UNESCO World Heritage
Inscribed with Libo in Guizhou and Wulong in Chongqing as the first phase of South China Karst.

Through the seasons

Spring
Dry and sunny; the fields around the site are in bloom and the air is clear.
Summer
The rainy season greens the lawns and fills the pools; the Torch Festival falls in the sixth lunar month.
Autumn
Warm days and settled weather make it one of the most comfortable seasons.
Winter
Mild and dry at midday, cool in the mornings; the grey rock stands out sharply in the clear light.

Routes and ways in

Major and Minor Stone Forest circuit
A network of paved paths, stairways and narrow passages through the main clusters, easily walked in half a day.
Naigu Stone Forest
A quieter walking circuit among darker pinnacles and depressions north-east of the main area.
Long Lake and Dadieshui
Outlying sites with a karst lake and a waterfall, suitable for a longer visit.

Practical notes

The site is at around 1,750 m with a mild plateau climate; the sun is strong and shade is limited in the open sections.
Paths in the Major Stone Forest are narrow and steep in places and can be crowded; go early or late in the day for quieter walking.
Climbing on the pinnacles is prohibited to protect the rock and for safety.
Shilin is a common day trip from Kunming by road or rail.

Cities to start from

Kunming昆明 (Kūnmíng)Capital · Cultural centreThe City of Eternal Spring on Lake Dian

Frequently asked questions

Sources

South China Karst — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
Shilin UNESCO Global Geopark — UNESCO (retrieved 27 September 2026)
Yunnan Provincial People's Government — Yunnan Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)

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