The Amazing Stone Forest of Kunming in China
Article by Brendon
The Stone Forest (Shilin n Chinese) near Kunming is an incredible set of enormous rock formations resembling a rock forest that tower over you as you walk through them.
Visiting the Stone Forest will not give you much in the way of travel bragging rights, but it is a fascinating site and worth visiting if you have a day free in Kuming while waiting for your plane or train.
The Stone Forest was declared a world heritage site in 2007 so you can tick it off on your list of visited heritage sites at the end of the day.
What is the Stone Forest?
The Stone Forest is a set of Karst formations that date back roughly 270 millions years when travel in China was a lot less developed than it is now. These formations were formed by the dissolution and erosion of soluble bedrock such as limestone that left a residue of much harder rock.
Karst formations vary in shape and size and can range from enormous underground caverns to lakes and lime stone pavements. As spectacular as the Stone Forest is, it is not unique and similar formations have formed around the world at places such as Herault in France and El Torcal in Spain.
The Stone Forest's grounds and features
The Rock Forest is a part of the Shilin National Scenic area that covers 350 square kilometres and is divided into seven different sections. The actual karst formations only cover a very small part of this area and generally you will only see one of the seven sections when you visit the Rock Forest.
As impressive as the stone formations are, they become a little repetitive after the first 2-3 hours and you'll be more than happy seeing just two of the scenic area's seven sections. Most tourists to the Stone Forest only stay there for a couple of hours and leave feeling very satisfied with the experience.
Folk Lore
The Stone Forest is an important part of local folklore and there are folklore interpretations of many rock formations in the Stone Forest. I have listed below photos and interpretatio! ns of tw o of the more interesting ones I saw during my visit.
Waiting for Husband - A local man Azhe left home to shoot down 9 of the world's 10 suns that had destroyed his home and damaged the local community. His wife Awo is standing beside the road waiting for him to return home.
Wandering mother with child - A woman and her child of Sani nationality are wandering through the stone columns
Bushao 5 Gates - Not exactly folklore but the Bushao 5 Gates are another very interesting part of the Stone Forest. The Bushao 5 Gates is a path that goes through 5 natural stone gates. Each stone gate is formed by the erosion of the center part of a stone column. The gates are very narrow and I had to take off my small day pack and turn side ways to squeeze through several of them.
Getting There
The Stone Forest is 120 kilometers out of Kunming and takes a two hour bus trip to get there.
The buses for the Stone Forest leave Kunming's Dong Bu long distance bus stop which is on the east side of Kunming and takes a 20 minute drive to get there. A taxi trip to the bus stop is a little expensive so catch one of the public buses such as the 193 bus that go to the Dong Bu long distance bus stop.
The fare for the bus is 27rmb and the bus will drop you off at a bus stop near the main entrance of the scenic area. When you get off the bus and leave the bus stop, turn left and the entrance will be clearly visible around 100 meters down the road.
Tickets and Opening Times
The ticket to the Stone Forest scenic area costs 175rmb which is a little excessive but inline with the higher prices (price gouging) found at most travel spots in Yunnan.
English speaking guides are available inside the scenic area just after the entrance that cost 80rmb.
The scenic area is open from 8:30am to 6:00pm.
Travelling time to the Rock Forest and back is at least 4 hours and enjoying the key sites in the main section will take at least 3 hours so you will need a full day to visit the Rock Forest.
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The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappeared forever.
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Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.List Price: $ 0.99 Price: $ 0.99BK0271Y-Chinese Painted Fancy Basket , Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chinese Paint
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Chinese painted fancy food basket with carved images of bats of happiness and deer on lid and other Chinese symbols on the bottom rim. Reed handles and red lacquered finish.Price:Chinese calligraphy writing and brush painting / sumi set
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Chinese character writing is a highly evolved discipline that relies as much on artistic craftsmanship, as it does on literary composition. Our basic writing set comes with two brushes, a black ink stick, ink stone and red ink for the "chop" or signature stamp. The ink is made by gently rubbing the ink stick in a small pool of water in the ink stone. This ancient method allows for very little waste. The same bushes and inks may be used both for writing and painting, as the two art forms are so closely linked. Our writing set comes from Shanghai, the literary capital of China. Also available on Amazon from REORIENT, is the traditional rice paper used for painting and writing.List Price: $ 14.94 Price: $ 14.94
In the Realm of the Flower Phoenix
The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappeared forever.Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappe! ared for ever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.
BK0271Y-Chinese Painted Fancy Basket , Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chinese Paint
- Vintage
- China
- Red / Gold
- 13" wide x 13" deep x 16.5" high
Chinese calligraphy writing and brush painting / sumi set
- Great starter set
- 5 brushes, ink well / stone, ink stick, signing ink, stone chop, brush rest, & water well
- Nicely presented in chinese brocade gift box
- Size: 8.5" x 6"
- Made in China
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