Mizhi Town is located in the southwest of Midu County, Dali Prefecture. It is an ancient town with beautiful scenery and rich culture. It is the hometown of Yin Yigong, the creator of "The Moon Over the River" (Xiao He Tang Shui), and also the source of the small river described in the song. With its unique geographical location and profound cultural heritage, Mizhi Town has become a place that people yearn for.
The inspiration for "The Moon Over the River" came from the natural scenery and humanistic sentiments of Mizhi Town. The "small river" mentioned in the song refers to the Yaxi River flowing through Mizhi, while "the moon comes out, bright and shining" depicts the beautiful night scene of Mizhi. Mizhi Town not only has beautiful natural scenery but also rich historical culture, such as the Ancient Tea Horse Road, Pearl Spring, and Yin Yigong's former residence, which are popular places for tourists to visit.
Kuixing Pavilion is located at the north exit of Wensheng Street. It is covered with green tiles, with hooked corners and flying eaves. A simple and solemn plaque reading "Kuixing Pavilion" hangs high on the top floor (now faded). Looking into the distance from the pavilion, one can take in the panoramic view of Wensheng Street, Mizhi Dam, ancient villages, and the surrounding pastoral scenery. Inside the pavilion, there is a clay statue of Kuixing (the God of Literature), standing on one foot on the head of a giant turtle, with the other foot raised to touch a dipper, holding a brush and inkstone high in both hands, with wide-open round eyes, as if grading papers, looking very majestic. This symbolizes Kuixing's examination and promotion of scholars, and the idiom "to come out first" (du zhan ao tou) originates from this. Historically, Mizhi had a flourishing culture and produced many talents, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties, when a large number of successful candidates in the imperial examinations emerged, including both civil and military talents. This is inevitably linked to the people of Wensheng Street's reverence for Kuixing, their respect for etiquette, their tradition of farming and reading, and their diligence and progress.
Wensheng Street, originally named "Ma Shipu" (Horse Food Shop), was a hub station on the Ancient Tea Horse Road entering western Yunnan and a distribution and transfer point for tea-horse trade. Many merchants and officials passed through and stayed here, hence the name "Ma Shipu." At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Imperial Inspector Dai Hongci passed through on an inspection tour. Local gentry set up incense tables to welcome him. When he saw the crowd kneeling before him, all wearing official hats with peacock feathers, he was greatly surprised. In the inn, he asked, "How many scholars have passed the imperial examinations here?" The locals listed many successful candidates and military scholars. The inspector felt that such a place of flourishing civil and military talents should not be called "Ma Shipu," which was inelegant, so he renamed it "Wengong Town" (Civil Palace Town). In the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932), local gentry changed the name to "Wensheng Street" (Civil Prosperity Street), which has been used ever since.
Wenming Pavilion, also known as the God of Wealth Pavilion, is part of the ancient Yunnan-Tibet Tea Horse Road, which has a history of over 1,400 years. Through the vicissitudes of time, it was not only a winding economic corridor connecting various ethnic groups along the route but also a corridor of civilization spreading art, religion, customs, and culture. As an important post station on the Tea Horse Road, Mizhi saw the integration of Central Plains culture, border culture, ethnic culture, and religious culture as horse caravans traveled north and south, eventually forming a diverse and broad civilization. Over time, the iconic building spanning the ancient road, the God of Wealth Pavilion, came to be respectfully called Wenming Pavilion.
Wenming Pavilion is a double-eave pyramidal roof structure, with two visible floors and one hidden floor, totaling about 9.8 meters in height. The Ancient Tea Horse Road passes through the pavilion, making it one of the famous ancient pavilions in the area.
Pearl Spring is one of the most historically significant and friendly ancient wells in Mizhi. It was dug in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, though the exact date is unknown. The well mouth is square, each side 2.5 meters long, and the well is about 3 meters deep. The well rim is paved with whole long stone slabs. Throughout the year, the spring water is crystal clear, gushing day and night without stopping, abundant and sweet. It never dries up in severe drought nor overflows in heavy floods. From time to time, strings of white bubbles, like translucent pearls, gurgle up from the bottom, creating a fascinating natural wonder. The tofu, rice wine, and pickled vegetables made by local villagers using this well water are of excellent quality and famous far and wide.
Phoenix Bridge is located on the Yaxi River south of Wensheng Street. It is one of the most famous ancient bridges on the Mizhi Tea Horse Road. It is a double-arch blue stone bridge with an exquisite and unique design. The bridge is 14.3 meters long, 2.1 meters wide, with a span of 9 meters. The deck is paved with square stone slabs, each 0.6 meters wide and about 6 meters long. Both sides have stone carved railings for protection. The central pier is diamond-shaped, protruding east and west like wings of the bridge, called "yan chi" (wild goose wings), to highlight the shape and connotation of "Phoenix Bridge." This serves both decorative and mechanical purposes, fully demonstrating the wisdom and ingenuity of the builders. It is a rare physical material for studying ancient bridge architecture and the history and culture of the Tea Horse Road.
On the west side of the bridge deck, there is a weathered stone carving of a "four不像" (neither lion, tiger, kylin, nor other animal), a large unicorn beast. This mythical beast faces west with its back to the east, 1.8 meters high (including the base), weighing a thousand jin. It is a water-controlling beast used by the people of Mizhi to subdue floods and protect their safety.
"Brother herds sheep in the deep mountains, Sister waits for her lover by the small river; By the river stands a tree of longing, blooming and withering for hundreds of years." "Daytime watching for my lover, he sees me; Nighttime watching, he knows not; The murmuring stream tells my heart, the melting moonlight conveys my longing." Since ancient times, many lovesick and plaintive women have leaned against this ancient, gnarled locust tree, humming heartfelt Mizhi love songs, watching for their "lovers" who either followed the horse caravans to distant lands or went deep into the mountains to herd cattle and sheep, pouring out their feelings. Over time, the people of Mizhi named this old locust tree, which witnessed countless loves and "watchings," the "Tree of Longing."
The Fifth District Office of the Republic of China was built in the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931). It was the office of the Fifth District National Government of Midu County, with a history of over 80 years. The building complex has a layout of three rooms and a screen wall, consisting of the main house, north and south wing rooms, and a gate. All are official-hat-style buildings, with one floor and one attic, front and back corridors, single-eave mountain-style, column-and-tie construction, five bays wide (18.9 meters), depth of 10 meters, covering an area of 1189.96 square meters, with a building area of about 1700 square meters. After the founding of New China, the Fifth District Office served successively as the township government and the Yonghe Village Office, and is now used as an exhibition hall. This building has been listed as a cultural relic protection unit at the prefecture level and is one of the important protected building complexes in Wensheng Street Historical and Cultural Village.
Mizhi Grand Temple is located directly opposite Mizhi Lantern Square. The temple buildings are built along the mountain slope, with the Guansheng Hall in the front and the Jade Emperor Pavilion in the back. According to the "Midu County Annals Draft," the Mizhi Grand Temple was first built in the early Qianlong period (1736) and expanded in the fifth year of the Guangxu period (1879), with a history of over 270 years. Because it is the oldest and largest ancient temple in the Mizhi area, it is called Mizhi Grand Temple.
During the Qing Dynasty, Mizhi Grand Temple served as an academy and school. In the Republic of China period, schools were established here. On the eve of the founding of New China, it became the activity site of the Third Detachment of the Western Yunnan People's Self-Defense Corps led by the underground Communist Party. After the founding of New China, it was used as a school for a long time and has always been the center of education, religion, and culture in the Mizhi area.
When visiting Mizhi Ancient Town, how can you miss a sumptuous tofu banquet? Tofu banquet is a specialty of Mizhi, made with water from the local Pearl Spring. The tofu is firm, not easily broken when cut, not sticky when carved, and does not fall apart when cooked, making it very suitable for various dishes. The tofu banquet includes three series: hot dishes, cold dishes, and pickled dishes. Hot dishes include tofu balls, osmanthus fragrant balls, golden brick tofu, spicy tofu, golden silk tofu, happy tofu, pregnant tofu, egg floss tofu, etc. Cold dishes include tofu pudding, ginger shred tofu, and dipping sauce tofu. Pickled dishes include pickled tofu and fermented bean curd.
