Just 120 kilometres from the city of Kunming, an astonishing sight awaits you. Shilin, a forest of stone. It was born 270 million years ago in the province of Yunnan, China, when the sea bed was thrust up and the elements split it into magnificent limestone forms. Spread over 300 square metres, Shilin changes with the seasons: exquisite in the grim, broodiness of winter light, it becomes a cheerful garden in spring and summer. Autumn heralds in a profusion of colour–bushes of primrose and magnolia vie with the handsome Sani people of the Yi tribe. Away from the tourist bustle, a walk through its quiet paths might just yield secrets that have been locked in the deepest recesses of your mind.

There is a forest in China, dense and dark, whose mythological stories passed on through the centuries will chill your bones. The wind whistles through here, like a love-lost maiden, until the hairs rise on the back of your neck.