Guests from afar enjoy music tour in Shilin

Huang Hai, a music teacher at the No. 1 Middle School of Shilin Yi Autonomous County, said the best way to introduce Stone Forest to more people was through music.

Sani is a branch of the Yi ethnic group and “Ashima" is a legend of the Sani people. The beautiful Sani girl, Ashima, was in love with the boy, Aheige, a brave shepherd. Sani people like singing songs and dancing in their daily life. They welcome distant visitors with their enthusiasm and hospitality.

Located in Shilin Yi autonomous county, Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, the Shilin (stone forest) scenic area is famous for its karst landscape, featuring various types of oddly shaped rocks, and a long complex geological history.

Listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site, the Shilin scenic area is a 350-square-kilometer area near Kunming, overgrown with tree-shaped stones in the form of stalagmites formed 270 million years ago. The site is also known as "God's mini-scape" or "Sculpture Museum of Nature".

Huang Hai was still impressed by the declaration of Shilin as a World Natural Heritage Site. "On June 27, 2007, when the news came, I was preparing to participate in the song and dance performance to celebrate the success of the application in the waiting area. There was a great deal of joy and excitement in the room."

There are many ways to promote the Stone Forest. She likes to publish songs and dances on WeChat Moment, WeChat Group, Tick Tock and other social media platforms.

On Tick Tock, Huang has posted nearly 200 works, most of which are about Huang and her friends in ethnic costumes and perform Yi songs and dances.

"Shilin is vigorous, beautiful, and mysterious. It is my home and is also the home of all mankind," said Huang. As a native of Shilin, he teaches his students sing songs in Yi language, for example, the song “Distant guests afar please stay” is the most popular in China.

“Music has no borders. I hope my students will make good use of musical beauty to introduce Shilin to the world,” said Huang.

Reporting by Yao Chengcheng; Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi