Along the old Dian-Zang Highway in Shangwei Village, the Guanyin Tang Bai Vernacular Architecture Demonstration Residential Community stands as a living record of regional craftsmanship. This neighborhood, designed and supervised by Li Zhihai of Dali Nansi House Industry, replicates the traditional dwellings of the Bai people. It sits near the historic Guanyin Tang temple, a waypoint on the Ancient Tea Horse Road between Xiaguan and Dali Ancient Town. The temple features stone additions from 1874 and a main hall built in 1876, commemorating the legend of Guanyin carrying a giant rock to block invading troops.

The structures within the community employ classic architectural layouts. In the "Three Rooms and a Screen Wall" configuration, a central main building stands flanked by two side buildings, facing a whitewashed screen wall designed to bounce afternoon sunlight back into the courtyard. The "Four Houses and Five Courtyards" layout features four two-story houses enclosing a central courtyard, with four smaller lightwells at the corners to catch rainwater and mountain breezes.

Artisans assembled these homes using traditional wood-and-stone frameworks. They joined the timber with penetrating tie-beams, a technique that allows the buildings to sway and survive earthquakes. Visitors can feel the cool surface of locally sourced Dali marble and bluestone used for the footings and thresholds. Above, gray-tiled roofs terminate in high gates with up-curved, triple-dripping eaves. The wooden lattice doors bear the marks of precise chisels, displaying carved birds and flowers. On the plaster walls, painters applied national-level heritage color paintings featuring water-ink motifs and auspicious four-character phrases.

Today, this neighborhood remains an active residential area. Many structures operate as boutique guesthouses and cultural spaces, welcoming travelers where merchants once rested their pack animals. Together with the adjacent Guanyin Tang and the neighboring Zhang Family Garden, this community preserves the architectural wisdom of the Cangshan and Erhai region.