Menglian Tusi Border Tourism Area

　　 The Menglian Xuanfu Tusi Office is the only ancient architectural complex in Yunnan that combines Han and Dai architectural styles, covering an area of over 12,000 square meters, featuring a main hall, council chamber, rear hall, side rooms, gateway, and other auxiliary buildings. Outside, there is a more than 2-meter-high wall, with four side gates around it. The main building, the council chamber, is a three-tiered hip-and-gable roof stilt-style house. The entire complex is made of wood, with components such as brackets and upturned eaves in Han architectural forms, while the stilt-style buildings and halls showcase Dai architectural styles. The Menglian Xuanfu Tusi Office is one of the better-preserved among the 18 tusi (local chieftain) offices in Yunnan’s border ethnic regions and holds high historical and artistic value. In 1965, it was approved and announced by the provincial government as one of the first batch of provincial-level cultural relics protection units.

　　 A ramp ascends along the mountain slope, and atop the highland of the upper town, the two-tiered small hip-and-gable roof stilt-style gatehouse of the Xuanfu Tusi Office stands solemnly before us. Beside the 13 stone steps are four tall, dense palm trees, and eight golden gate pillars shine brilliantly in the sunlight, dazzling to the eye. It is reminiscent of the fact that in the Dai language, the Xuanfu Tusi Office is called “Hao Han,” meaning “Golden Palace.” Upon entering, the three-tiered hip-and-gable roof stilt-style council chamber comes into view—23.2 meters long, 16.1 meters wide, and 10.2 meters high, with seven bays in width and five in depth, grand in scale and highly imposing. The brownish-red wooden floor on the first level is polished clean, allowing light from outside the eaves to filter through, appearing to float like water. Six rows totaling 47 golden stilt pillars, hidden under the eaves, conceal their dazzling brilliance, giving off a warm, subtle hue that is simple and pleasing to the eye. On one side of the hall are placed several wooden drums of various designs, telling vivid details of bygone history.

　　　　Ascending to the second floor of the council chamber, this is where the tusi held council meetings. At the very front of the room stands a shrine-like platform over a person’s height tall—that is the tusi’s “throne.” Flanking the throne are tall flags and ceremonial paraphernalia, among which two gold umbrellas inlaid with gems are particularly eye-catching. In days gone by, Dao tusi gathered the chiefs of the Dai, Lahu, and Wa ethnic groups here to hold council, and the echoes of their responses seem to still ring in the ears, though centuries have since passed. The lighting here is dim, highlighting an especially solemn and antiquated atmosphere.

　　　　Passing through the council chamber, you arrive at the back garden, where a variety of tropical plants and flowers are planted. Under the sunlight, they burst forth in vibrant blooms. Large expanses of red bougainvillea climb the walls, while tree tomatoes quietly hang clusters of fiery red and orange-yellow fruits from the tops of walls, adorning the gray-brown surfaces with brilliant liveliness. The main hall is connected to the council chamber via a small arched bridge. This one-story-over-one-story, double-eave gable-and-hip roof building served as the residence of the Dao tusi and his consorts. The side rooms on both sides are also one-story-over-one-story gable-and-hip roof buildings, arranged symmetrically along corridors, forming a unified whole with the main hall. Compared to the council chamber, the main hall is noticeably more luxurious, with countless golden pillars complementing the exquisitely carved, richly colored and magnificent golden brackets under the eaves, set against the brownish-red wooden building, making the title “Golden Palace” truly fitting. In the glass display cabinets of the side rooms are displayed blue-patterned embroidered python robes and black silk six-rank official court attire bestowed by the Qing imperial court, as well as seals, Dai-language scriptures, tusi household items, and more—items of deep historical and artistic value that provide precious cultural relics and historical materials for the study of local ethnic history.