At the corner of Fuxing and Pingdeng roads in Dali Ancient Town, a unique structure stands as Yunnan Province's oldest preserved Protestant church. Completed in June 1904 under the supervision of Canadian missionary W.J. Hanna, the building originally bore the name Chinese Christian Chapel. It represents a physical dialogue between Western theology and local Bai craftsmanship.

The exterior walls showcase the traditional Bai masonry technique known as "stone-stacked walls that do not fall." Local builders gathered smooth, water-rounded river pebbles from nearby streams, stacking them without mortar, and reinforced the corners with heavy, cool-to-the-touch strip stones. Above these pebble walls sits a traditional Chinese "four-pitch water" tiled roof, supported by a sturdy post-and-beam timber framework. Atop the roof, a four-cornered spire houses a 150-kilogram iron bell. Cast in London, this heavy bell traveled across oceans and through Vietnam to reach Dali, where its deep, metallic resonance still echoes through the mountain air.

The church's history is marked by survival. On March 16, 1925, a massive earthquake devastated Dali, tilting the church's roof and collapsing its walls. The following year, local congregation members pooled their modest funds to rebuild the sanctuary. Inside the 26-meter-long sanctuary, which accommodates over 200 worshipers, the air smells of aged wood and old paint. Visitors encounter a striking fusion of cultures. A painted canvas depicts Jesus overlooking the Great Wall of China. Nearby, wooden columns bear elegant Chinese couplets written by local scholars, pairing biblical theology with classical poetic forms.

Designated as a municipal cultural relic in 2008, the Dali Christian Church remains an active house of worship, where the tactile warmth of local river stones meets a global history.