A Different Dali - Weishan Wenhua Academy

In January 2024, the second stop of the trip to Dali came to Weishan Yi and Hui Autonomous County. Weishan County is located in the southern part of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, 53 kilometers away from Dali City, the capital of the prefecture. The expressway from Dali to Weishan was opened in early February 2024, and the high-speed rail or expressway between the two places can be reached within half an hour. Upon arriving in Weishan, I was deeply attracted by the Weishan Wenhua Academy. The academy building is old as old, the interior layout is atmospheric and orderly, the display is not lacking in fine products, the building and the environment are perfectly integrated, both historical and fashionable. Even the wax plum flower arrangement in the beautifully decorated tea room is so delicate, it is hard to imagine such a delicate and atmospheric place in a small city on the southwestern plateau. After reading the introduction, I understood that in recent years, Tsinghua University and OCT Group have joined forces to repair, manage and operate the academy, allowing the ancient buildings to shine again. The Wenhua Academy covers an area of about 16,000 square meters and a building area of about 2,800 square meters. It consists of three groups of ancient buildings: Xiao Gongci, Wenhua Academy, and Yuhuang Pavilion. It is a national key cultural relics protection unit. Xiao Gongci, also known as Jiangxi Guild Hall, was built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, destroyed during the Qing Dynasty, and rebuilt in the 24th year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. The Wenhua Academy was built in the first year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, and its main buildings include Yantaifang, Kuixing Pavilion, and Book Collection Building. Yuhuang Pavilion was built in the Ming Dynasty, destroyed during the Xiantong period of the Qing Dynasty, and rebuilt during the Guangxu period. The academy displays many exhibits of great historical value, such as Yin Ruins oracle bone inscriptions, Yin Shang stone inscriptions, Shang Dynasty jade Xuan bird totem, Northern Wei and Northern Qi Buddhist scriptures stone inscriptions, Liao Dynasty Khitan Buddhist scriptures pictorial relics, Western Xia country scriptures pictorial relics, Tibetan Awen Dunhuang town relics, Ming Dynasty Yi people Bimo scriptures, etc. There are also various types of inkstones of different periods, materials, and shapes, such as turtle inkstones of the Han and Tang dynasties, Liuli inkstones of the Liao and Jin dynasties, and warm inkstones of the Western Xia and Liao dynasties, which are worth careful appreciation. Weishan is the location of the ancient Nanzhao country, with a deep historical background, to be slowly recorded later.