Heshun Ancient Town

Founded in 1928 with donations from overseas Chinese, Heshun Library holds more than 100,000 volumes including old books, plus plaques inscribed by Hu Shi and Li Shizeng.

The philosopher Ai Siqi, author of Philosophy for the Masses, was born and spent his early years in this courtyard home that mixes Chinese and Western design.

Once home to the Tongshunxiang jade-trading family, whose members ventured abroad for business, Wanlouzi tells the story of caravans and emigrants on the western Yunnan Silk Road.

Foremost of Heshun's eight clan shrines, the Cun Ancestral Shrine pairs South Asian winged-horse reliefs with Huizhou-style bracketing, a striking work of overseas Chinese architecture.

Heshun preserves eight clan shrines alongside traditional residences, archways, and bridges as a historic architectural complex in western Yunnan.