Dear friends, welcome to the Stone Forest! The Stone Forest, one of China’s first 5A tourist attractions, is the hometown of the Yi national minority. It has become a comprehensive tourist zone combining natural landscape, ethnic customs, holiday resort and scientific exploration. It has been listed in World Natural Heritage by UNESCO since 2007.
The size of the Stone Forest Scenic Area is about 350 square kilometers. The highlights of the scenic area are Major Stone Forest and Minor Stone Forest.
In front of us is the Stone Forest Lake. In 1955 Chinese former Prime Minister Zhou Enlai suggested a man-made lake should be built here to make the rock views less tedious. As a result, an artificial lake was created, making a nice companion to the surrounding rocks and mountains. Look, the rock resembling Guan Yin is mirrored in the water.
The Major Stone Forest is ahead. It is the first part open to tourists. It boasts dark grey stone peaks, stone pillars, and stone swords soaring into the sky.
Now we are arriving at the Lion Pavilion. With an elevation of 1,750 meters, it is the highest point of the Stone Forest and the best place for a panoramic view of the Stone Forest. Please look at the 8 Chinese characters on the huge tall pillar, which mean “Clusters of steep peaks tower into the clear sky; Layers of high rocks resemble jade screens”. Zhu De, a famous marshal of our country, wrote them in 1962. The inscription is a vivid summary of the Stone Forest’s uniqueness and beauty.
Dear visitors! Please look at the two striking red Chinese characters on the huge rock, “Shilin”, meaning “Stone Forest”. These two characters frequently appear in magazines, posters, TV programs, and on the internet as well. They were written by Long Yun, the former Chairman of Yunnan, when he was visiting this area in 1931. It is the must-see of today’s schedule and the best position for taking photographs.
Okay, let’s move northeast to the Minor Stone Forest. If the Major Stone Forest is compared to a strong man, the Minor Stone Forest would be a graceful lady. Now, we are arriving at the Minor Stone Forest. There are beautiful legends about the stones here, one of which is the legend of the Ashima Peak. Let’s go to the Ashima Peak by going through the grassland until the Jade Bird Pond with clear water and ripples. Observe the high rock from this angle! What does it look like? Yes, it resembles a pretty teenaged girl carrying a flower basket on her back. This girl is the incarnation of the character in the well-known narrative poem Ashima in Yi culture. Her story is so touching because of her courage, fidelity and perseverance. It has been passed down by Sani people from generation to generation.
Every year the Sani people gather here to join in the celebration activities of Torch Festival, such as wrestling, bullfighting and a ceremony for young men to propose to women by moonlight. That’s all. Thank you!
