Singing Stone Forest Scenic Area

Singing Stone Forest Scenic Area

The Singing Stone Forest Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Singing Stone Forest, also known as Maba Stone Forest, consists of Maba Fort at the top and Maba Stone Forest at the bottom. It is located near the government seat of Singing Township, bordered by Wuma Gully to the east, starting from Tiancheng Mountain to the south, connecting to Longchi Fort to the west, and backed by Maba Fort to the north. It is a unique natural stone forest landscape in northeastern Sichuan, covering an area of 14 square kilometers.

The area boasts a stunning array of peculiar rocks and breathtaking scenery. In spring, flowers of all kinds compete in a vibrant display; summer brings shady green canopies; autumn paints the hills with fiery red leaves; and winter cloaks the land in silvery white. The region features undulating emerald peaks, dense forests, and 35,000 mu of forestry land, including 23,000 mu of natural ecological forest—over 1,800 mu of which are primeval forest, 8,500 mu of planted forest, 8,000 mu of sparse woodland, and 6,500 mu of suitable barren hills. The forest has a timber volume of 300,000 cubic meters. There are 2,900 mu of ginkgo trees with 145,000 trees, and over 3,000 mu of wild sword bamboo forests, resulting in a forest coverage rate of 68.1%. The average annual temperature is 16.7°C, with a maximum of 33°C and a minimum of -10°C. Annual sunshine ranges between 1,100 and 2,400 hours, making it a true “natural oxygen bar.” The area is known for its simple folkways, beautiful mountains and rivers, and outstanding people, making it an idyllic paradise for leisure, wellness, and summer retreats.

Towering bluish stone ridges stretch for over ten miles, forming a mysterious stone city. The city is covered with grotesque rocks that resemble heavenly soldiers and generals in battle gear, some looking like fairies admiring the view, others like Tang Sanzang praying to Buddha, or like Jiang Ziya fishing. These formations vary in height and shape—some resembling humans, brushes, sedan chairs, umbrellas, flags, or spears—standing vividly in place with striking resemblance, dynamic energy, and great visual interest. The imposing sight resembles an army of tens of thousands. The stone forest naturally forms five stone walls, enclosing more than 120 hills within, guarded by four forts and two mountains, earning it the reputation of a “city within a city” and “fort upon fort.” It combines grandeur, wonder, danger, and beauty. In front of the stone forest, a cluster of rocks forms a natural wall, 16.5 meters high and 100 meters long. At either end of the wall, clusters of peculiar rocks form two forts—one to the east spanning 15 mu, the other to the west spanning over 8 mu—each divided into upper, middle, and lower levels. The upper level served as a watch post, the middle as barracks, and the lower as hidden chambers and tunnels, once used as dwellings by the White Lotus Sect rebels. Within the stone forest, there are over 50 famous scenic spots featuring more than 100 uniquely shaped rocks, including “Tang Sanzang Pilgrimage,” “Pillar Holding Up the Sky,” “Wei Zheng Before the Emperor,” “Fairy Longing for the Mortal World,” “Warriors Marching to Battle,” “Gallop of Horses,” “Heavenly Soldiers and Generals,” “Official Boots Planted Upside Down,” “Fierce Lion Descending the Mountain,” “Birdsong in the Empty Mountains,” “Stone Birds Returning to the Forest,” “Pillar of Stability,” “Heavenly Net and Earthly Trap,” “Fort Within a Fort,” “City Within a City,” “108 Arhat Hills,” and “24 Shining Spots.” The area also contains three underground river entrances and two underground labyrinths. It is 8 kilometers from the Yuntan Ancient Buddha Cave. The top of Maba Fort features the famous “Ten-Thousand-Zhang Gully” with a “Mass Grave” about 3 meters wide and 500 meters deep. There is also a 3.5-mu swamp (Luoren Field) situated between two gorges, a cow dung pit near Erlang Temple, and underground labyrinths in both Menzhen Temple and the inner Fort Within a Fort.

Behind Maba Fort, a cliff wall stretches over a kilometer, with towering rocks and jagged cliffs forming a natural painted screen. Nearly ten peaks of varying sizes stand side by side along the wall. After heavy rain, seven or eight streams cascade down, spraying like snow and scattering like pearls and shattered jade. The murmuring sound of water fills the stone forest, truly evoking the imagery: “Streams pour from cliffs, hanging halfway to the sky. Each splash of stone sends petals flying, dazzling the eyes.” The interplay of mountain and water, grand and perilous, beautiful and strange, seems to turn every corner into poetry and every scene into painting—as if one walks through poetry amid painted landscapes.

The Republican-era *Continued Gazetteer of Tong County* records: “Maba Fort, an eastern branch of Menzhen Temple, has below it a stone pillar six zhang tall and over a zhang in area, as well as another large rock standing on three legs, with small trees growing on top resembling an incense burner. Nearby, there are many peculiar rocks—some like brushes, some like sedan chairs, some like flags, some like spears—all standing vividly in formation, strikingly lifelike.”

Major Attractions

“One Forest, Two Temples”—referring to the Stone Forest, Niushi Temple (Erlang Temple), and Menzhen Temple; “Two Mountains, Four Forts”—namely Honghua Mountain, Dazhong Mountain, Maba Fort, Longchi Fort, Jigong Fort, and Yanyun Fort.