The local Sani people has a long-standing legend about the origin of the stone forest:A long time ago,the Sani hero Jinfenroga wanted to build a dam for his fellow subjects,so he stole the magic “mountain moving order”and the “mountain driving whip”,and at a night he drove the stones form Luliang in the south to the Nanpan River of Yiliang in the north,on his way passing through the Shilin aera it was nearly daybreak.Unexpecgedly,his heroic undertaking was suddenly spoiled by the magic rooster crow,so the stones remained at the Shilin area and became the spectgacular stone forest.