The Stone Forest (Shilin)of Yunnan is located about 120 kilometres (3-hr drive) from Kunming. It has been known since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) as the "First Wonder of the World". The old local saying goes that "If you have visited Kunming without seeing the Stone Forest, you have wasted your time." The entire Stone Forst covers an area of 400 square kilometres of intricate stone formations, creating a magnificient and strange landscape with countless labyrinthine vistas.

Geologists say the Stone Forest is a typical example of karsts topography. Approximately 270 million years ago, during the carboniferous period of the Paleozoic era, the region was a vast expanse of sea. Over time, the movements of the lithosphere gradually caused a retreat of the waters and the rise of the limestone landscape. Due to the constant erosion by th elements, the area finally developed into the present-day Stone Forest (or Shilin in Chinese).