The Six Business Cards of Weishan: Ancient Capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom

On April 2, 2008, Liu Ming, Secretary of the CPC Dali Prefectural Committee, conducted a special research tour on tourism and cultural industries in Weishan County. During the inspection, Secretary Liu concisely summarized Weishan’s brand positioning as: Ancient Capital of Nanzhao, Hometown of Yi Ancestors, Sacred Land of Taoism, Majestic Pass on the Bird Trail, Source of the Red River, and Harmonious Hui Village.

Over the past two years, the CPC Weishan County Committee and the county government have attached great importance to promoting the six cultural business cards of this National Historical and Cultural City. Coinciding with the opening of the Guanwei Highway, tourism in Weishan has ushered in a new boom. We are launching these six tourism brand images of Weishan for your attention.

Nestled at the foot of the Ailao Mountains in western Yunnan, Weishan is the birthplace of the Nanzhao Kingdom. In 649 AD, Xinuluo, the founding ancestor of Nanzhao, established the Dameng Kingdom here, laying the foundation of the Nanzhao regime. Furthermore, Weishan is the source of the Red River, a nationally designated historical and cultural city, and a sacred pilgrimage site for Yi people to trace their roots and offer sacrifices to ancestors.

Strolling along quiet bluestone paths amid rows of tiled houses and grand buildings crafted by master artisans of successive dynasties, visitors can piece together precious fragments buried in history and clearly witness the former splendour of the ancient Nanzhao capital.

Thirteen hundred years ago, the powerful ancient Nanzhao Kingdom rose in Dali, Yunnan. Today’s Weishan Yi and Hui Autonomous County is exactly where this kingdom originated. Traces of Nanzhao history can still be found everywhere, among which the most famous relics are the two imperial capitals: Tucheng and Mengshe City. In 649 AD, Xinuluo founded Mengshe Zhao with its capital in Tucheng. Located in the middle of the Weishan Basin, the city faced the Yanggua River — the headwater of the Red River — to the front and backed onto Dahei Mountain. Built atop a hill 200 metres above the basin, it was surrounded by mountains and rivers, easy to defend yet hard to attack, occupying a pivotal strategic position. On the hillside opposite Tucheng stands a massive architectural complex known as the Western Grand Temple. First constructed in the Nanzhao period, the temple features magnificent scale and imposing momentum. According to Brief Records of Yunnan compiled by Li Jing in the Yuan Dynasty: “Xinuluo, leader of the Meng tribe, made Tucheng of Mengshe his capital, founding the Great Meng Kingdom and styling himself the Wonder King. This marked the founding of the first kingdom with a monarch in Yunnan.” Ruins still remain today; broken walls and tiles silently tell the glory of the old days. In 738 AD, Piluoge moved the Nanzhao capital from Tushan to Taihe City in Dali, building the Upper and Lower Passes to defend the imperial city.

The ancient Nanzhao Kingdom existed alongside the Tang Dynasty for more than 250 years, over 90 of which it ruled from Weishan. The first four virtuous monarchs, during the Nanzhao revival, all established their regime here. Even after the capital was relocated to Dali, Weishan remained the cradle and root of Nanzhao history and culture. Endowed with such profound historical heritage, Weishan boasts numerous cultural relics, historic sites and scenic spots.

The layout of Weishan Ancient City took shape in the 23rd year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1390), with a history of more than 600 years. Laid out like a chessboard, the old town has 24 streets and 18 alleys crisscrossing each other, forming a typical chessboard-style city plan popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Walls were erected on all four sides with one city gate on each side. Two trunk roads connected the east-west and north-south gates respectively. At their intersection stood a towering bell tower with passageways facing all directions. The whole city formed a perfect square, just like a large official seal, with the tall bell tower serving as its handle. Manhua Local Records records: “Menghua was the birthplace of the Nanzhao Kingdom.” After Piluoge ascended the throne in the 18th year of the Kaiyuan reign, the ancient city was built, with five multi-storey towers erected in the east, west, south, north and centre. The city wall was rammed earth, and the city gates adopted wood-and-earth structures. The existing ancient city of Weishan was reconstructed in the 23rd year of Hongwu. The original earthen ramparts were demolished and replaced with brick city walls. Four gate towers were built on the four sides, among which the North Gate Tower became the heart of the city.

Gongchen Tower stands on the northern side of the ancient city. Two huge horizontal plaques hang under the eaves, inscribed with “The Foremost of the Six Zhaos” and “Gazing Far into the Sky for Ten Thousand Li”. The ground floor has railings on four sides and battlements on the north and south. From the second floor, you can overlook Weibao Mountain to the south, snow-capped Cangshan Mountain to the north, the Red River to the west, and the Majestic Bird Trail Pass to the east. The residential houses in the southern city glow with lamplight, and a straight paved road leads to the Star Arch Tower at the city centre. Today, performances of the ancient Nanzhao Dongjing ritual music are staged in the main hall of the tower.

Around 5,000 households still live inside the ancient city. Most dwellings retain the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and shops, workshops and eateries along the streets still preserve an antique charm. The two-storey buildings lining the roads feature wooden frames, tiled roofs and brick or earthen walls, mostly built in the layouts of “Three Wings and One Screen Wall” and “Four Quadrangles with Five Small Yards”, with elaborately carved beams and painted rafters. This historic frontier city never suffered large-scale destruction, so it has kept its intact Ming and Qing urban pattern. Walking out of Gongchen Tower and along the two-kilometre Nanzhao Ancient Street — one of the oldest and longest ancient streets nationwide — you feel as if you have stepped through a time tunnel back to ancient times.

To better protect and develop the ancient city, since October 2000, with support from higher authorities, the county government has formulated a development guideline: Taking Nanzhao culture as the main thread, protect and develop the ancient city, old streets, historic ruins, ancient temples and traditional music. In accordance with the Regulations on the Protection of Weishan Historical and Cultural City and its conservation plan, the local government increased investment and carried out phased protective development projects. Road reconstruction covering Nanzhao Street and Dongxin Street was completed in four phases, with 54,200 square metres of asphalt pavement replaced with bluestone slabs. A total of 6,800 metres of power, telecommunication, cable TV and water supply pipelines were buried underground. Two stone memorial archways were reconstructed, and supporting facilities including street lamps, greening and sanitation were upgraded. Renovations were also carried out to unify the architectural style along streets.

Meanwhile, following national laws and regulations, the county authorities analysed Weishan’s status and development prospects in Dali Prefecture and even the whole of Yunnan from a regional and strategic perspective. The development of Weishan Ancient City was incorporated into the construction of the Greater Shangri-La Tourism Zone and the ecological environment of northwest Yunnan. Based on the overall goal of conserving cultural heritage and building high-quality scenic spots, a detailed conservation plan was worked out under the principle of authenticity, integrity, diversity and sustainability while fully preserving the original look of the ancient city. It has drawn a new blueprint for the future protection and development of Weishan Ancient City.

Weishan Ancient City was once a vital transportation hub on the Yunnan-Tibet section of the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. This highland town, once covered by the dust of time, boasts an irreplicable character and well-preserved traditional lifestyle.

When you enter the ancient town, you will see grey tiles, white walls, carved wooden gates, gilded black signboards and clean bluestone lanes. Every ground floor along the street is a shop with wooden facades. Shop owners sit casually on straw stools, paying little attention to business. Groups of elderly people gather around small square tables, drinking tea, playing chess and chatting while watching the bustle on the street. On the ancient street, schoolchildren, vegetable porters, bird-cage keepers and strolling pedestrians pass through the archway of the old tower. Year after year, this lively scene remains frozen in time.

Residential courtyards still retain Ming and Qing architectural styles. Old houses and halls form an invaluable treasure of the ancient city. Whether it is the grand “Three Wings and One Screen Wall”, “Four Quadrangles with Five Small Yards” and multi-storey linked buildings of wealthy families, or modest courtyards of ordinary folk, every household plants trees and flowers, especially orchids. The town is praised with the line: The fragrance of red orchids drifts all over the city even with the wind. Experiencing such a tranquil lifestyle brings endless contentment.

In the early morning, you can drop into a breakfast shop on the old street and order a bowl of pork rice noodles or Weishan single-strand noodles. Then you can buy freshly picked wild mushrooms for a small sum from street vendors, or spend the whole morning browsing stone carving workshops and antique stores. Every lane is filled with a warm and friendly atmosphere. Step into any courtyard, and you will find a quiet antique garden filled with blooming plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums, as well as camellias and azaleas. Rock flower beds and miniature rockeries add unique charm to the courtyard.

As one of the early human settlements, Weishan nurtures profound history and a time-honoured civilization. It boasts rich folk crafts and distinctive local snacks. The Ministry of Culture has named it the “Hometown of Chinese Folk Batik Art”, and Yunnan Province honours it as the “Hometown of Yi Singing and Dancing”. The elegant ancient Nanzhao music, combining wind, string, percussion and vocal performance, is a crystallization of history and a witness of ancient civilisation. Age-old folk traditions have been passed down continuously since the Nanzhao era, including the Weibao Mountain Pilgrimage, Yi ancestor worship, the Eighth Day of the Second Lunar Month Festival, the Hui Mawlid and Eid al-Fitr, as well as the Bai Princess San Festival. Quiet and time-honoured Weishan, the ancient capital of Nanzhao, is radiating endless charm with its unique grace.