Dali Xiaoyizhuang Benzhu Temple

At dawn, the first light touches the whitewashed walls of the Dali Xiaoyizhuang Benzhu Temple, a quiet sanctuary nestled on the southwestern shore of Erhai Lake. This sacred place belongs to the Bai people's indigenous Benzhu faith, a tradition where communities worship localized protectors, deified ancestors, and historical figures. Known locally as the Yu'an Temple or the Grandmother Temple, it serves as the spiritual anchor for the Xiaoyizhuang community.

The temple traces its origins to a legend over a thousand years old. Zhang Gu Taipo, a compassionate royal aunt from the ancient Baizi Kingdom, was so devoted to the common people that after her death she was posthumously honoured as a Benzhu by the Nanzhao King. Later, her spirit appeared in a dream to an elderly woman from Fengbei Village, instructing that a new temple should be built on the western shore of Erhai to spare the people from the perils of crossing the lake. Thus the Yu'an Temple was established, becoming the spiritual home for generations of local fishermen and farmers.

The architecture follows the traditional Bai courtyard style, built with timber frames, local stone, and baked clay tiles. Its multi-tiered bracket sets and upturned flying eaves rise against the Erhai wetlands, while the interior walls display colourful frescoes painted in blue, red, green, and yellow pigments. Inside the main hall, the altar reveals the expansive nature of Bai worship. Alongside the primary deity Zhang Gu Taipo, the temple also houses Emperor Jing, the Buddhist guardian Sangharama, the Old Aunt of the South Sea, and notably General Zhang Zhizhong, a twentieth-century military figure—an eclectic gathering that weaves historical memory and diverse beliefs into a single sacred space.

Today, the Dali Xiaoyizhuang Benzhu Temple remains an active community centre. Every year, the temple hosts two major festivals: the Yu'an Hall Temple Fair on the eighth day of the third lunar month, and the Yu'an Ceremonies on the twenty-second day of the fourth lunar month. During these events, worshippers gather under the scent of incense, chanting prayers before travelling to the City Protector God Temple near Dali's South Gate. The temple also serves as the venue for the annual Naohai Festival, where religion, folklore, and scenic beauty converge.