In 1701, during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, the Yunnan Commander-in-Chief Piantu raised his brush to write four characters: "State of Literature." Having spent fifteen years in Dali, he wanted to honor the region's deep academic traditions. He built the Wenxian Tower to display this imperial designation, placing the gate across the southern road, one kilometer south of the ancient town's South Gate.

The structure rises twenty-four meters above a massive, arched brick-and-stone passageway. Its timber, soil, and stone walls support a grand gable-and-hip roof, built in the traditional Bai ethnic style. Under the eaves hangs Piantu's black-and-green plaque, its lacquered surface catching the sharp mountain light. Flanking the plaque, a long couplet composed by the local scholar Zhou Ren praises the peaceful landscapes and the legacy of Dali's intellectuals.

Following centuries of periodic destruction, builders reconstructed the tower in 1998, preserving its sixty-meter width and thirty-meter depth across a 1,600-square-meter area. Today, the tower remains free and open twenty-four hours a day. Visitors walk beneath the cool stone archway, listening to the rustle of willow trees that line the southern entrance. At night, warm floodlights illuminate the timber beams, casting a golden glow against the dark, silent silhouette of Cangshan Mountain.