A freeway connecting Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, and Shilin, or stone forest, a well-known karst scenic spot in the province, was completed and opened to traffic on Sunday.

The 78-kilometer freeway, most of which is six lanes wide, cost 3.8 billion yuan (about US$458 million) and is the first of its kind ever built in Yunnan to boost tourism, which plays an important role in local economic development.

The freeway, which extends to eight lanes for a short stretch, is considered the most modern expressway in Yunnan and will shorten the trip between the provincial capital and the scenic site from some three hours to 40 minutes, said a local official.

In the meantime, the freeway also forms an important part of the thoroughfare to Guizhou Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yunnan's two eastern neighbors, and to southeast Asian countries such as Viet Nam.

Shilin earned its name from its miraculously-shaped stone formations -- believed to be the most typical and concentrated karst formations in the world. Each year it receives over 2 million tourists.
 
(Chinawestnews.net November 17, 2003)