At No. 357 Yu'er Road, the Puxian Monastery stands as the sole active Buddhist temple remaining inside the stone walls of Dali Ancient City. Established in 1586 during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, this sanctuary has witnessed centuries of quiet devotion and radical change. It once faced the Wenshu Temple to its south, which is now entirely gone.

The monastery sits on a west-to-east axis, facing the morning sun. Visitors step onto a stone base elevated exactly one meter above the courtyard. The main hall, measuring thirteen meters wide and twelve meters deep, is a three-bay structure built of stone and wood. Overhead, a single-eaved hip-and-gable roof rests on a traditional post-and-beam system. The heavy eaves are held aloft by three-tier, star-shaped brackets, known as "mi"-shaped dougong. On the lintels, tie beams, and bracket-supporting blocks, the original woodcarvings and traditional color paintings remain visible, preserving the touch of Qing Dynasty artisans who rebuilt the hall in 1677 and repaired it in 1854.

The building carries the physical scars of the twentieth century. Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, workers dismantled the gatehouse, the south wing, and two square stone pagodas. The sacred main hall became a quiet warehouse, filled with stored goods, while the north wing room echoed with the mechanical hum of a machine room.

In 1990, the temple's story shifted again. Local elderly residents pooled their private funds to restore the main hall, reclaiming the space for worship. Today, the Dali Ancient City Lianchi Association operates the temple, which has been a protected municipal heritage site since September 20, 1985. The dripline of the roof marks the boundary of its preservation zone, a quiet line where ancient timber meets the mountain air.