In 1639, the geographer Xu Xiaoke stood in Cibihu Town and watched steam rise from a hollow limestone mound. Beneath his feet, nine thermal vents discharged boiling water, filling the air with a sulfurous haze. This natural terrace, known as Jiuqitai, resembles a tortoise and a snake locked in an eternal embrace, mimicking the physical form of the Taoist deity Xuanwu. Atop this geological formation sits the Eryuan Zhenwu Pavilion, a two-story earth-wood temple first raised in 1603 during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty.

The structure reveals a history of constant human renewal. After an expansion in 1733, the pavilion burned to the ground during the military conflicts of the Xianfeng era. In 1887, the local villagers of Langqiong County gathered timber and rebuilt the double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, leaving their mark on the late Qing Dynasty architecture we see today. In 1997, preservationists stabilized the adjacent Wenchang Hall, correcting structural shifts to save the complex.

For centuries, the site functioned as a sensory crossroads. During the seasonal transitions of Lidong and Lixia, women from the Bai, Naxi, Tibetan, and Yi communities arrived in brilliant attire to bathe in the mineral-rich waters. The Ming scholar He Bangjian wrote of these crowds, comparing the scene to the imperial Huaqing hot springs. Visitors heard the bubbling of the 85-degree Celsius springs echoing through the hollow stone base, while the cool waters of nearby Cibi Lake framed the steaming landscape.

Today, the pavilion is protected as a provincial-level cultural relic. Underground water levels have shifted and some vents have quieted, yet the heavy wooden pillars and weathered clay tiles remain. They preserve the memory of ancient travelers, local builders, and generations of bathers who found sanctuary where hot water meets cold stone.