Menglian Xuanfu Tusi Mansion

　　   The Menglian Xuanfu Tusi Mansion is well-preserved and fuses the architectural characteristics of the Dai and Han styles. It represents the rule of the hereditary Tusi (native chieftain) system of the Dai people, which lasted over 500 years from the Ming and Qing dynasties through to the Republican era. In 1254, under the threat of the advancing Mongol forces, the subjects of the local Mangmao Kingdom (today’s Ruili) were forced to migrate southward. At that time, four ministers divided into three routes to search for new lands, eventually discovering the river valley plains—Menglian, which means “a good place we found” in the Dai language. In 1289 during the Yuan Dynasty, the Muliianlu Military and Civilian Prefecture was established in Menglian, and the first Tusi, Han Bafa, initiated the construction of Menglian City. In 1406 during the Ming Dynasty, the Changshi Office was established in Menglian, with the then Tusi Dao Paisheng serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the Changshi Office at the sixth rank, overseeing a vast jurisdiction. In 1709 during the Qing Dynasty, Tusi Dao Paiding presented an elephant to the imperial court in Beijing and was bestowed the hereditary title of Xuanfu Tusi. In 1764, the court designated the remotely located Menglian Xuanfu Tusi as a "Formal Xuanfu Tusi." In 1894 during the Guangxu reign, it came under the administration of the Zhenbian Direct-Controlled Prefecture (today’s Lancang), and was granted the official seal reading “Hereditary Seal of the Menglian Xuanfu Tusi of the Zhenbian Direct-Controlled Prefecture of Yunnan.” By the Republican era, it became known as the Menglian Xuanfu Tusi of Lancang County. From the first Tusi, Han Bafa, to the last Tusi, Dao Paixiong in 1949, a total of 28 generations of tusi succeeded one another. From the Ming to the Qing dynasties, the Dao family tusi constructed a grand “Inner City” on the western bank of the Nanlei River at the eastern foot of the Golden Mountain for the noble lineage—what is today Naxun. According to old Dai customs, the mountain city of Naxun was strictly divided into the Upper City, Middle City, Lower City, as well as two villages: Mangfangang and Mangfangmao. Today, what remains preserved includes the Xuanfu Tusi Mansion and the Upper City Buddhist Temple in the Upper City area, and the Middle City Buddhist Temple in the Middle City area.

　　   The Xuanfu Tusi Mansion is situated on a highland in the Upper City area, featuring a two-tiered hip-and-gable roofed entrance hall with bracket sets and upturned eaves. Beside the 13-level stone stairway stand four tall, dense palm trees, and eight golden pillars shine brilliantly in the sunlight, dazzling to the eye. Upon entering is a three-tiered hip-and-gable roofed stilt-style council hall, measuring 23.2 meters in length, 16.1 meters in width, and 10.2 meters in height, spanning seven bays in width and five in depth. Its grand and spacious design is extremely imposing. Six rows of 47 golden stilt pillars, hidden under the eaves, mute their dazzling brilliance and emit a gentle luster, presenting a simple and pleasing sight. On one side of the hall are placed several wooden drums of various styles. Ascending to the second floor is where the chieftain held councils. At the front of the room stands a shrine-like platform over a person’s height, which served as the Tusi’s “throne.” Flanking the throne are tall flags and ceremonial weapons, among which two gem-inlaid golden umbrellas are particularly eye-catching.

　　   Passing through the council hall leads to the back garden, where a variety of tropical plants and flowers are planted, bursting with vibrant blooms under the sunlight. The main hall is connected to the council hall via a small arched bridge. The residence of the Dao family chieftain and his wives is a two-story building with a double-eave gable and hip roof. The left and right wing rooms are also two-story buildings with a single-eave gable roof, arranged symmetrically along corridors and blending seamlessly with the main hall. Compared to the council hall, the main hall is markedly more luxurious, with countless golden pillars complementing the exquisitely carved and richly colored golden bracket sets under the eaves, set against the brown-red wooden structure, truly living up to the title of the “Golden Palace.” In the glass display cabinets of the wing rooms are displayed blue-background embroidered python robes and black silk six-rank official court attire bestowed by the Qing court, as well as seals, Dai-language scriptures, Tusi household items, and other objects of great historical and artistic value. These provide precious cultural relics and historical materials for studying the local ethnic history.

　　   In 2006, the Menglian Xuanfu Tusi Mansion was approved by the State Council as part of the sixth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, recognized as a historical architecture from the Qing Dynasty.