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Fengxiang Liesheng Palace
Dali, Yunnan, China
In the heart of Fengxiang Village, the Fengxiang Liesheng Palace has long stood as a spiritual anchor for the local Bai community. According to local lore, the village itself derives its name from an ancient legend: a phoenix descended upon the mountain at the village's edge, and hundreds of birds gathered to mourn it, giving the place its enduring name. The palace was erected on this sacred ground, serving generations of villagers who sought the protection of local spirits and deities within its timber walls.
The palace occupies a prominent position along the village's main axis, its towering green-tiled roof rising above the surrounding courtyard houses. Built in the classic Bai ethnic style, the structure follows the traditional "three studios and one screen wall" layout. A grand screen wall stands opposite the main entrance, its whitewashed surface catching the morning sunlight. The main hall rises on a stone plinth, supported by thick vermilion pillars and topped with a sweeping double-eaved roof, its upturned corners decorated with ceramic dragon heads. Inside, the ceiling is divided into deep, coffered panels, each painted with floral motifs and mythical beasts, their colours now muted by age and incense smoke.
Today, the Fengxiang Liesheng Palace remains an active centre of worship and community life. Every year, during the village's annual temple fair, residents gather in the courtyard to offer incense, perform traditional Bai dances, and share meals beneath the old ginkgo tree that shades the eastern corner of the compound. The palace also serves as a repository of local memory, its walls holding carved stone steles that record the names of donors and the dates of past restorations. Designated as a county-level protected heritage site, the building continues to embody the resilience and spiritual devotion of the Bai people, its weathered timbers and painted rafters preserving the quiet rhythms of faith that have shaped Fengxiang Village for centuries.