At the foot of Longquan Peak, where the Cangshan Mountains slope toward the waters of Erhai Lake, stands a city born of ink and celluloid. In May 2002, workers broke ground on a 110-million RMB project, raising 146 brick-and-wood structures in seven months. Designed by Beijing Film Academy Professor Song Hongrong, this complex served as the set for the 2003 television adaptation of Jin Yong’s novel, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

Song Hongrong modeled the streets after the Northern Song dynasty painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, blending historical aesthetics with local Bai ethnic architecture. Visitors feel the rough texture of weathered green bricks and the cool surface of gray tiles under the mountain wind. At the entrance, the wooden gates bear the original calligraphy of Jin Yong, carved into the timber.

Inside, the city splits into three distinct territories. The Dali Kingdom features the Mansion of the Prince of Zhennan, where actors like Hu Jun and Liu Yifei once performed. Nearby, the Zhenlong Chessboard plaza features a 700-ton green stone surface spanning nearly 100 square meters. Here, visitors can lift the massive black and white chess pieces, carved from marble and black gold jade, each weighing 25 kilograms. To the south, the Western Xia Royal Palace rises with Buddhist motifs, while the northern section holds the stone-carved Four Monks Pagoda, which preserves the memory of four Japanese monks who died during the Ming dynasty.

Since its integration into the Dali Tourism Group in 2004, the city has hosted productions like A Chinese Ghost Story and The Legend of the Book and the Sword. The smell of pine wood, the heavy clatter of replica weapons, and the sight of the stone bridges evoke a physical connection to both historical Yunnan and the literary imagination.