The karst formations in Shilin have long been a tourist draw in Yunnan province, but the Naigu stone forest in Lunan county just 10 kilometers away is now emerging as a popular destination.

A central part of Stone Forest Park that was listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 2007, the 30-square-kilometer Naigu scenic area is known as a natural museum of karst landforms. The word naigu means "ancient and black" in the language of the Yi ethnic group, a fitting description of the mass of blackish limestone that formed about 270 million years ago.

Compared with the Shilin landscape and its sword-shaped stones, the Naigu attraction has much sturdier stone columns that appear as shapes ranging from animals and figures to towers and blockhouses. The highest is more than 40 meters tall.[Photo/China.org.cn]