Shilin
Shilin is China's most picturesque national park, 126 km from Kunming. On an area of 350 km2 there is a forest of rocks and trees. The territory consists of 7 zones: Moon Lake, Naigu Stone Forest, Kvingh cave, Zhiyun cave, long lake, Da Deshui waterfall, stone forests. Here it is easy to notice the huge amount of natural towers that form a stone forest.
The terrain began to form about 260 million years ago, when the waters of the ancient sea splashed here. Due to frequent earthquakes, the earth rose, revealing the rocks, which under the influence of erosion took its current form. In Shilin Park, rocks of various forms come across, similar to humans, animals or even fabulous castles. A similar stone forest can be found in Madagascar in the Qingji du Bemaraha forest
Local residents have a legend according to which the giant built a dam in these parts and borrowed magic tools from the sorcerer during construction. But the tools had one flaw - as soon as the Sun rises, the tools disappear. Therefore, the giant did not manage to finish the dam, and to this day huge stones are scattered throughout Shilin.
Shilin has a huge number of lakes and a pond, but the most colorful of them is Lake Changhu, a length of almost 3,000 meters and a width of 300. Stone trees lay down the bottom of the lake, and beautiful bridges off the coast. Another attraction of the park is the "Cave of the mysterious wind", it was called so, because in August - November, wind flows break out every three minutes.
Every year on day 24, 6 months of the lunar calendar, a torch festival takes place here, on which thousands of travelers come together. During the holiday, concerts of traditional dance groups, bullfights, dragon games are held here. Who doesn't like noisy places can go into numerous groves, well-groomed meadows for solitude. Also within the small stone forest you can find rocks - "Towers holding the sky" and "Singing flowers".
In 2007, the village of Suogei and the Naygu Forest were listed as a World Heritage Site. In these parts on the rocks you can find hieroglyphs with verses.
