National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | UNESCO World Heritage (natural, 2007) National Park of China (first batch) AAAAA tourist attraction |
| Province | Yunnan |
| Location | Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan |
| Latitude, longitude | 24.8, 103.3 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Karst pinnacles |
| Top sights | The Liziqing Stone Forest |
| Area | 400 km² |
| Nearby cities | Yunnan, Kunming, Guiyang, Nanning |
| Nearby sites | Maling River, Dianchi Lake, Kunming, Jiuxiang, Chengjiang Fossil Site, Alu Caves, Puzhehei |
| Themes | Stone forests, Rock formations, Karst, Stamps |
About
The Stone Forest of Lunan, in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan, is a karst landscape of 400 km² in seven parts: the Greater and Lesser Stone Forests, the Naigu Stone Forest, the Dadieshui waterfall, Long Lake, Moon Lake and the Zhiyun and Qifeng caves. South China Karst, comprising Shilin in Yunnan, Libo in Guizhou and Wulong in Chongqing, was inscribed as a World Natural Heritage Site on 27 June 2007.
The main visitor area, the Liziqing Stone Forest, covers about 12 km² with Stone Forest Lake, the Greater and Lesser Stone Forests and the Liziyuan, and more than 5,000 m of paths.
On the 24th day of the sixth lunar month the Yi people celebrate the Torch Festival here. The Stone Forest is also the home of Ashima, heroine of Yi legend.
Stamps
On 18 September 1981 China Post issued T64 “The Stone Forest”, five stamps: the forest in mist, in autumn, by the lake, at sunset and under the stars.
The 11th stamp of the 1981 definitive set R21 “Scenery of the Motherland” shows the Stone Forest.
