As an unusual and rare landscape, the stone forest landform has caught people's attention since long ago. The term "stone forest" first appeared in a poemAsk Heaven written by the great ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan around 300 B.C. He questioned in the poem "Is there really a stone forest in the south?"

Stone forest of 1930s

There were detailed descriptions of the Stone Forest in the Yuan Dynasty, 14th Century: "Shimen (Stone Forest) is located in the flat land west of the Luliang where stone pillars are high and dense, varied in shape and height. Since it looks like a forest and people can go through, so it was called Shimen (Stone Forest).

In the 17th Century, the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty, some adventurers and scholars started to explore the Stone Forest seeking for scenic beauty, and they left many poems and prose works such as the Stone Forest Song to eulogize the special landscape of stone forest. The Annual of Lunan Prefecture compiled during the early Qing Dynasty (1712) contains a vivid description of the stone forest landscape: "Stone forests, comprised of stone pillars and peaks, are tens of meters high and cannot be reached without an arduous climb. In the stone forest there are numerous grotesque stone pillars standing densely. Looked like a large contingent of troops, the suspended rocks and notches are breathtaking. Dark gray in color, the delicately structured stone forests are extensive. There are also subterranean rivers, cool and tranquil."

Stone Forest and local Yi people of the early 20th century

Stone Forest landscape of the early 20th century

Paul Vial, a French missionary who lived in the Shilin area for 31 years around the turn of 19th-20th centuries, was the first westerner to introduce the stone forest landform to the western world. His articles about the Yi pcople’s culture and lifestyle as well as the stone forest landform were published in a French journal. In 1960, the Hungarian scholar Denes Balazs studied the Stone Forest as a karst formation.

In 1931, former Yunnan provincial governor Long Yun visited Shilin in his inspection tour. Greatly enchanted by the exceptional beauty of the stone forest scenery, he wrote two Chinese characters “Shi Lin" (Stone Forest) to name the forest-like landscape. Thence- forth, "Stone Forest" became the formal name of this special karst landscape, and Long Yun's calligraphy was later inscribed on a giant stone pillar - which nowadays is one of the well-known symbols of the Stone Forest Global Geopark. It was also in1931 that the Stone Forest Park was formally established (only part of the present Major Stone Forest Scenic Area), beginning this area's park history.

Because of its important scientific and aesthetic values, the Stone Forest of Yunnan was designated as a key scenic and historic area of China in 1982, a national geopark in 2001, and a global geopark in 2004.

Stone Forest of 2020s ( photo by Wang Limei )