Stone Forest

The ticket price for Kunming Shilin Scenic Area is 130 yuan per person, with a half price discount of 65 yuan per person and an electric vehicle ticket price of 25 yuan per person.

Car: There is a "tourist through train" service for Shilin Scenic Area at Kunming Railway Station.

@Kunming Shilin Scenic Area, also known as Yunnan Shilin, is located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Kunming, 78 kilometers away from the provincial capital Kunming. The area covers 350 square kilometers@The main tourist attractions developed in Kunming Shilin Scenic Area are Shilin Scenic Area, Heisongyan (Naigu Shilin) Scenic Area, Feilong Waterfall (Dadieshui) Scenic Area, and Changhu Scenic Area

Kunming Shilin Scenic Area has been awarded the titles of "World Geopark" and "World Natural Heritage Scenery" by UNESCO. In 1982, it was approved by the State Council as one of the first batch of national key scenic spots, and is a national 5A level tourist attraction and a national civilized scenic tourist area@In January 2019, the ticket prices for this scenic area were lowered. On July 31, 2019, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a notice of criticism and ordered rectification of Shilin Scenic Area in Kunming, Yunnan Province, with a deadline of three months. From the date of resumption of business in the scenic area until December 31, 2020, a free policy will be implemented for medical workers nationwide. On November 18, 2021, Shilin Scenic Area was included in the first batch of national civilized tourism demonstration units public list

Historical evolution

About 300 million years ago, the Shilin Scenic Area in Kunming was a vast expanse of water. After a long period of geological evolution, it finally formed extremely precious geological relics, covering numerous types of karst landforms on Earth@As early as the 42nd year of the Ming Wanli reign (1614), Wang Liang, the governor of Lunan, turned Shilin Zhiyun Cave into a scenic spot and erected the Zhiyun Cave Stele@In 1931, the Shilin Scenic Area in Kunming was officially established@On April 1, 1978, Shilin Scenic Area began offering ticket sales for domestic and foreign tourists@Since 1931, after 82 years of construction and development, Kunming Shilin Scenic Area has become a national AAAAA level tourist attraction

Geographic Environment

Geographic Location

Kunming Shilin Scenic Area is located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, 78 kilometers away from the provincial capital Kunming City. The Kunming Shijiazhuang Expressway is only a 50 minute drive away. The longitude of Shilin Scenic Area in Kunming City is 103 ° 30 ', and the latitude is 24 ° 81'

Climate Characteristics

The climate of Shilin Scenic Area in Kunming City belongs to the subtropical low latitude plateau mountain monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of about 16 ℃. There is no severe cold in winter, no extreme heat in summer, and the four seasons are like spring

Main attractions

Small Stone Forest

Small Stone Forest (Ashima Scenic Area), with thick and sturdy stone walls resembling screens, divides the small stone forest (Ashima Scenic Area) into several gardens. The most famous scenic spot in Xiaoshilin (Ashima Scenic Area) is undoubtedly "Ashima". As night falls, the colorful lights illuminate it, making it even more enchanting and charming

Dashilin

Dashilin is composed of dense stone peaks, resembling a stone basin. The stone forest here stands upright and abrupt, with smooth lines and a faint bluish gray color. The highest independent rock pillar is over 40 meters high. Among them, there are typical scenic spots such as "Lianhua Peak", "Jianfeng Pool", "Qianjun", "Extremely Narrow Pass", "Elephant Distance Stone Terrace", "Youlan Deep Valley", "Phoenix Combs Wings", etc. The most famous one is the "Stone Forest Scenic Spot" where Long Yun inscribed "Stone Forest", and "Wangfeng Pavilion" is the best place to appreciate the "Forest Sea"

Shilin Changhu

Changhu is a lava lake, supplied by groundwater. It has a circumference of 5 kilometers, a width of 300 meters, an average depth of 24 meters, clear water quality, and no pollution. Surrounded by green mountains on all sides, the plant coverage rate is over 95%. The air is fresh and clean, with good transparency. There are small islands in the lake, and the lake shore is dominated by forests of Yunnan pine. The terrain is gentle and divided into numerous small lakes, creating a clean and beautiful environment. It is surrounded by mountains at an altitude of 1907 meters. The shape of the lake is like a slender young girl, and it is the hometown of Ashima in folklore. Because the lake is hidden in the green mountains and hills, it was rarely visited by tourists in the past, so it is also known as the "Hidden Lake"

Scenic spots mainly include Dushishan, Dajianshan, Erjian Mountain, Sanjian Mountain, Mopanshan, Penglai Island, Yuanhu, etc. The area is 3.94 square kilometers

Bushao Mountain

Bushao Mountain is located east of the Dashilin and south of the Xiaoshilin, with the scenic area's Huanlin East Road as the boundary. It extends in a north-south belt and belongs to the eastern slope platform of the Dashilin dissolution depression in terms of topography. Named after Zhao Fa, the leader of the Yi People's Volunteer Army in Shilin during the late Qing Dynasty, who stationed troops and set up sentries to patrol the mountain. The mountain top has an elevation of 1796.7m and is nearly 50m higher than the Dashilin Wangfeng Pavilion, making it the highest point in the Shilin Scenic Area. Looking from a high vantage point, the forest is covered in pine waves, and the pillars and stones are uneven; Strolling through the mountains, the stone forest is outstanding, and sword peaks are listed. There are many columnar stone forests in the area, with unique landscapes such as "Wu Shi Men" and "Song Tao". There are giant gastropod fossils, coral fossils and other marine life fossils in the scenic spot, recording the thriving underwater world in the Shilin area 270 million years ago

Li Zi Yuan Qing

Li Zi Yuan Qing is located on barren hills and hills for dozens of miles outside the Ring Road. It is covered with strange pillars and rocks, some clustered and scattered, some rising and falling, and there are not too many tall trees competing with the stone forest for height, maintaining its natural appearance. On the jungle stone wall about 300 meters southeast of Huanlin Road, there is an ancient cliff painting depicting bold and rugged images of people, animals, objects, stars, and moon. According to relevant experts' research, this belongs to primitive religious content and is extremely similar to the figures in the cliff paintings of Zuojiang in Guangxi

Qi Wind Tunnel

Qi Wind Tunnel is a cave that can breathe. Among the many caves in Shilin County, it is the most peculiar. Although the cave is not large, with a diameter of about 1 meter, it makes a sound like an old cow panting during the rainy season. Someone intentionally seals the cave entrance with mud, but it can effortlessly blow the mud away. If dry wood is ignited at the entrance, the wind in the cave will blow up the flames and thick smoke. After stopping for more than 10 minutes, it will start inhaling again, and the fireworks will be "swallowed" into the cave. This cycle repeats endlessly with each breath. The breathing phenomenon in Qifeng Tunnel is not common in all seasons, usually occurring between June and October. The Qi Wind Tunnel has not yet been developed and is a reserve scenic spot

Shilin Zhiyun Cave

Shilin Zhiyun Cave is located in a limestone mountain on the east side of Anshi Highway, 6 kilometers northwest of Shilin Forest. The cave is 400 meters long, 3-15 meters wide, and 5-30 meters high, forming a "Ya" shape. The two sections of the cave are connected by a low and narrow entrance. There are many cave landscapes such as stalactites, stalagmites, and stone pillars inside the cave. Diverse in form and colorful. After the Ming Dynasty, it was called the "Immortal Wonderland" and was known as the "Stone Cave Immortal Trail", ranking first among the eight scenic spots in the Stone Forest

From the entrance to the end of the cave, there are more than 20 main attractions, including Lingzhi Fairy Grass, Jade Elephant Supporting the Sky, Inverted Golden Rooster, Grape Full Garden, Sitting Buddha in the Clouds, Polite Cave, Diamond Mountain Camel, Twin Lion Love, Wukong's Treasure Collection, East West Dragon Palace, Dragon Ascending, Millennium Jade Tree, Taibai Golden Star, Divine Bull Searching for Mother, Water Curtain Cave, Dragon and Tiger Fight, Shouxing Picking Peach, Water Man Jinshan Temple, etc

Resource situation

Plant resources

National second-class protected plants include: Chinese toon, Yunnan camphor wood, Chinese fir, elm, Magnolia bark, Eucommia ulmoides, fan fern, etc; The second level protected plants in the province include: Small Fruit South Candle and Cracked Fruit Paint; Provincial protected plants include: Dianxiangmu, Tutiaomum, Ten Great Merits, Thorny Yellow Lotus, etc

Animal Resources

The main wild animals include pangolins, civet cats, muntjacs, eagles, barnacles, pheasants, thrushes, woodpeckers, white bellied pheasants, magpies, hares, nine jointed spirits, squirrels, toads, green bamboo shoots, green snakes, lizards, etc

Famous Specialties

Shilin Soup Pot

Shilin is the settlement of the Sani people of the Yi ethnic group. The Sani people are a generous ethnic group who eat large chunks of meat and drink large bowls of alcohol. On the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, an annual Torch Festival is held in scenic spots such as Shilin, Changhu, or Naigu Shilin. If you come to Shilin at this time, after watching exciting bullfighting and wrestling matches, you can indulge in a local ethnic style soup pot in the nearby forest, including lamb, dog, donkey meat, etc. The cooking technique of the soup pot here is excellent, and all kinds of meat are stewed perfectly, neither hard nor soft; There is no strange odor such as gamey or fishy smell, and the color, aroma, and taste are all present

Milk Cake

Milk Cake is a major specialty of Shilin. Local people boil fresh goat milk, add an appropriate amount of sour water to solidify it, press it into chunks, and air dry it to make milk cake (a type of cheese). There are many ways to eat breast cakes, including steaming, boiling, frying, deep frying, stewing, and eating raw. They can also be made into dishes such as ham with steamed breast cakes, green bean stewed breast cakes, etc. The quality of breast cakes produced in winter is better

Shilin braised rot

Shilin braised rot has a long history and is made by marinating Shilin tofu as raw material. And Shilin tofu has excellent quality due to its use of Bajiang water. Shilin braised tofu is mainly divided into two varieties: those that mix vegetable oil, salt and other ingredients into tofu are called oil braised tofu; Adding ingredients such as wine, chili powder, salt, etc. to tofu is called wine braised rot. Both types of braised rot have the characteristics of beautiful color and taste. But due to the different ingredients, the two types of braised rot have their own unique characteristics, with extraordinary flavors that people love and taste. Shilin braised rot can be purchased in various shopping malls and miscellaneous stores in Shilin County

Festival Culture

Yi Ethnic Secret Branch Festival

Secret Branch Festival is accustomed to the first day of the lunar winter month from Rat Day to Horse Day, usually three to seven days later. On the remaining days, we may invite each other to go hunting in the mountains or go fishing in the river together, but we are not allowed to farm in the fields. Women can do needlework, wash clothes or do household chores, but they are not allowed to work in the fields. Starting from the second day, young men and women can be invited to go up the mountain to sing, dance, and have romantic conversations. After seven days, all clergy members held a small ritual activity in the "Little Mizhi" forest, announcing the end of the annual Mizhi Festival

"Mizhijie" is a festival celebrated by the Yi people in a unique way to commemorate and recreate the ancient social forms in which their ancestors once lived

Yi Torch Festival

"Torch Festival" is held on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month every year. It is a traditional festival for the Yi people to ignite fires, eliminate evil and harm, and celebrate a bountiful harvest. On the day of the festival, people of all ages and genders in villages and towns, dressed in festive costumes, gather at the wrestling ground to celebrate the annual traditional festival. The depths of the stone forest, the banks of Changhu Lake, and the foot of Guishan Mountain are the highlights of the festival

Ashima

The Sani people of the Yi ethnic group, who have lived in the Shilin area for generations, have formed a national culture represented by "Ashima". The long narrative poem "Ashima" by Sani has been selected as one of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritages and has been translated into more than 20 languages and widely disseminated in many countries around the world; The movie 'Ashima' is renowned both domestically and internationally

won honors

@3599# Public Service Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism

won time	won honors	awarding unit
1982	national scenic spot	State Council [18]
1992	exemplary organization of national scenic spot system	National Tourism Administration [19]
1993	National exemplary organization in Tourism Industry	National Tourism Administration [19]
1994	exemplary organization in Tourism Industry of Yunnan Province	Tourism Administration [19]
1999	National Civilized Scenic Spot Demonstration Site	Central Civilization Office, Ministry of Construction, National Tourism Administration [19]
1999	Yunnan Patriotic Education Base	Publicity Department of the Central Committee
2000	National Scenic Area exemplary organization	Central Civilization Office, Ministry of Construction, National Tourism Administration
2001	National AAAA Tourist Attraction	National Tourism Administration [18]
2001	China National Geopark	Ministry of Land and Resources [20]
2004	World Geopark	UNESCO Department of Geosciences [18]
2006	exemplary organization of National Civilized Scenic Area	Central Civilized Office, Ministry of Construction, National Tourism Administration [20]
2007 Year	National AAAAA Tourist Attraction	National Tourism Administration [21]
In 2007,	was included in the The World Heritage List List	World Heritage Committee [21]
In 2007,	was one of the top ten units in the comprehensive management of national scenic spots	Ministry of Construction [21]
2007	was one of the top ten scenic spots in China with the best resource protection	Ministry of Construction [21]
2009	National Civilized Scenic Spot	Central Civilized Office, Ministry of Construction, National Tourism Administration [18]
2011	Land and Resources Science Popularization Base	Ministry of Land and Resources [7]
2021	First batch of national civilized tourism demonstration units	Ministry of Culture and Tourism [24]
2022	Selected as the first batch of national science popularization education bases for 2021-2025	Office of the China Association for Science and Technology [25-26]
2022	The first hundred International Union of Geological Sciences geological heritage place names (the world's first batch of geological heritage place names) [27-28]	International Union of Geological Sciences
2022	Selected as the "2022 National Tourism Toilet Construction and Management Excellent Case" public list [29]

Travel Guide

Ticket Price

In January 2019, the ticket price of this scenic spot was lowered. The price reduction of Shilin Scenic Area is relatively large. According to the "Implementation Opinions" on "Clearing and Cancelling 'Garden within Garden' Tickets", the current 120 yuan/person ticket for Shilin Karst Geological Museum will be reduced and cancelled, and the agreed price of 40 yuan/person will be calculated. The Shilin Karst Geological Museum and Shilin Scenic Area will be integrated, and the ticket price will be adjusted from 215 yuan/person to 130 yuan/person, a decrease of 39.53%

Traffic Information

Bus: There is a "tourist through train" service for Shilin Scenic Area at Kunming Railway Station@Train 378#

: K364/K365 from Guangzhou to Kunming, K230/K231 from Xiamen to Kunming, K393 from Guilin to Kunming (Kunming Railway), 2367 from Nanning to Kunming (Liuzhou Railway), 6081/6084 from Guiyang to Kunming, 2055/2058 from Zhanjiang to Kunming, 7451/7454 from Hongguo to Kunming

Tourist Route

Route 1: Main Scenic Area Stone Forest Scenic Area - Jianfeng Pool - Wannian Lingzhi - Liziyuan Qing - Bushao Mountain - Small Stone Forest (tour time about 4-5 hours)

Route 2: One day tour of Stone Forest and Dadieshui combined with surrounding scenic areas

Route 3: One day tour of Stone Forest and Changhu (the mother lake of the Sani people)

Route 4: One night and two day tour of Stone Forest, Changhu, and Guishan Yi Family Fun

Route 5: Shilin, Nogu Shilin, Dadieshui, Changhu, Guishan Yijiale Two Nights and Three Days