Kunming, the modern capital city and transportation hub of China’s southern Yunnan province, has a large student population and a temperate year-round climate. Bridges and pavilions cross the islands of Cui Hu (Green Lake), a park designed in the 17th century. Nearby is Yuantong Si. A temple founded by Buddhists in the 8th century, it features a statue hall and a pond with an ornate stone bridge. The Stone Forest or Shilin is a notable set of limestone formations about 500 km² located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, near Shilin approximately 90 km from the provincial capital Kunming.