The Stone Forest has long been regarded as one of the great natural wonders of the world. The spectacular limestone pinnacles and pillars are not only unique karst landforms but also a special natural landscape. Once into the Stone Forest, one can see beautiful scenes everywhere, and with slight changes in perspective the scenery becomes entirely different. Exotic stones and exuberant vegetation are majestic and elegant, exhibiting exceptional natural beauty.
The beauty of the Shilin Stone Forest is not only represented by spectacular stones, but also in combination with other natural elements. Numerous stone forest clusters may tower on the flat basin, or sit alone on a hilltop, or march along ridges, or be hidden in forest, or stand in seasonal lakes, creating a wealth of splendid scenes.
Rockery is an important part of traditional Chinese garden art, and for centuries the Stone Forest has served as the “natural model” for rockery design because of its natural and harmonious appearance. Many principles have derived from the Stone Forest, for example the four guidelines for “Standing Peak” are “thin”, “penetrable ”, “holed”, and “wrinkled”.
The stone forests of Shilin are considered superlative natural phenomena and the world reference site for this type of feature. The cluster includes Naigu stone forest occurring on dolomitic limestone and the Suoyishan stone forest arsing from a lake. Shilin contains a wider range of pinnacle shapes than other karst landscapes with pinnacles, and a higher diversity of shapes and colors that change with different weather and light conditions.
Grand stone forest
The Major Stone Forest
Naigu Stone Forest