The Earth Forest in Yuanmou County in Chuxiong Prefecture is a scenic spot at the provincial level. Earth Forest, as a representative landscape in the county, comprises Xinhua, Bangguo, Wanbao and Tiger Leaping Beach, covering an area of 50 square kilometers. The Earth Forest came into being since geological movement and soil erosion one or two million years ago. Its shape looks like an immense forest and the main component is earth, so it is named Earth Forest. The Earth Forest, the Stone Forest in Kunming and the Colorful Sand Forest in Luliang are called "the Three Forests in Yunnan".
The whole landscapes of the Earth Forest in Yuanmou are mainly castle, screen, curtain and column, of which the highest is about 40 meters and very grand. The shapes of the Earth Forest look like vivid persons and animals as people look at them closely. Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture is between Dianchi Lake in Kunming and Erhai Lake in Dali. It's an important hub of middle Yunnan. Chengkun RailwayŁ¬Guangda Railway and Kunwan Road cross it.
ItˇŻs been regarded as one of the well-known cradle of humanity and a treasure house of fossils of ancient living beings. Lufeng Fossil Ramapithecus about 8 million years ago, Yuanmou Man (Homo Erectus Yuanmouensis) about 1.7 million years ago and Lufeng dinosaurs of 1.8 billion years ago were excavated here. Many archaeologists from home and abroad regard Chuxiong Prefecture as the cradle of humanity and "The home of ancient living beings". Huge Mallet White Tower of Dayao built in the Tang Dynasty is rare in shape in Chinese ancient buildings. The large bronze statue of Confucius at Wenmiao Temple in Shiyang Town is the only one that is well preserved in mainland China.
Source: http://www.yunnantourism.com/chuxiong/index.htm |
