In the early twentieth century, during the transition from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, a wealthy merchant named Zhou Pengjun built a grand family estate. Located in Xizhou Ancient Town, eighteen kilometers north of Dali Ancient City, this residence stands as a preserved example of Bai architecture.

The estate uses the traditional "Three Rooms and a Wall" layout. Three timber-frame buildings, constructed from earth, wood, stone, and brick, border a central courtyard. On the fourth side, a whitewashed decorative screen wall reflects the high-altitude Yunnan sunlight directly into the living spaces, keeping the rooms bright and well-ventilated. Visitors can feel the cool surface of the blue stone foundations and gate towers, which have anchored the structure against decades of social change.

Human hands left their marks across every surface. Local artisans spent months chiseling the wood carvings on the doors, windows, and beams, leaving behind representations of dragons, phoenixes, and flowers. On the exterior walls, painters brushed traditional Bai frescoes, calligraphy, and ink-wash paintings, their brushstrokes still visible under the shelter of the "three-drop" eaves.

Today, the courtyard is part of a nationally protected cluster of traditional Bai residences. Visitors walk through the same blue stone gate towers that Zhou Pengjun built to display his commercial success. Inside, the scent of old timber and the sound of the traditional Three-Course Tea ceremony connect modern travelers to the daily rhythms of the Xizhou merchants who once gathered here.