Sinan Stone Forest

Sinan Stone Forest

Sinan Stone Forest

Sinan Stone Forest The Sinan Stone Forest is mainly distributed across the Changba Scenic Area and the Jingzhu Garden Scenic Area, with exposed areas of 4.9 km² and 2.3

km². The two stone forest areas face each other across the river. Surface water dissolves and erodes through the fractures in soluble carbonate rocks, forming a jungle-like network of residual karst formations, with deep stone gullies winding between the stone forests. The Sinan Stone Forest is the best-developed, most ecologically preserved, most intact, and largest contiguous karst stone forest discovered so far on Earth within the same latitude zone. It is highly valuable for both science education and sightseeing. The stone forests are spread continuously across the landscape in diverse forms, showcasing all developmental stages of stone buds—from youth to maturity—including needle-like, sword-like, tower-like, columnar, and castle-like formations. The shapes within the forest are ever-changing, presenting stunningly beautiful scenery that reveals grandeur in small details, intricacy within vastness, wonder within craftsmanship, and serenity within the spectacular. Here, the stone forests interplay beautifully with the surrounding woods, creating breathtaking views. The area also features numerous vividly shaped rock formations with strong visual appeal, such as Tiger Rock, Eagles Facing Off, Ghost Face Rock, the Four Guardians, and Three Immortals Welcoming Guests.

Jingzhu Garden is densely vegetated, and its stone forest structures are relatively smaller in scale. With the wind rustling the trees, the stones appear and disappear, like a demure maiden half-concealed behind a veil. Moreover, Jingzhu Garden was the site of an ancient battlefield of the White Lotus Sect’s White Army during the Qing Dynasty and is now a key cultural relic protection unit of Guizhou Province, with many existing ruins. Therefore, the stone forest landscapes here not only hold scientific research value but also offer a powerful visual impact through their unique formations, combining both scientific and aesthetic significance as a karst landform attraction.

The Changba Stone Forest area is located within Changba Township, approximately 1.5 kilometers from the township government seat. It lies within the reservoir area of the Sinlin Hydropower Station on the Wu River, bordering Fenggang to the west and adjacent to the Siyetun Nature Reserve to the north. The entire stone forest complex stretches across several hills, divided into six major sections, covering an area of about 4.9 square kilometers, making it the largest natural stone forest landscape in Guizhou Province. Developing the stone forest resources is a highlight and strength of the county’s tourism initiatives. Leveraging both water and land transportation, efforts are being made to promote the stone forest as a brand to attract tourists from nearby scenic destinations—especially those from the Wu River Three Gorges Reservoir area, western Hunan, and Zunyi—thereby forming a large-scale tourism loop.

Attraction Location

Longmen Village, Changba Town, Sinan County, Tongren, Guizhou