In 1670, a wandering Taoist priest named Li Renjie built a small temple at the western foot of Baohua Mountain. Thirty-three years later, a tin industry tycoon named Zhao Tianju funded a massive expansion of the site. Local lore says Zhao saved a white ape from a snake by splashing tobacco water on the reptile; in gratitude, the ape appeared in his dream to reveal a rich vein of tin ore. Today, Zhao is enshrined in the Lower Temple as a local mining patron inside the Hongwang Hall.

This lower sanctuary covers nineteen thousand square meters and contains twenty-two historic halls, including the Yuhuang Pavilion and Sanqing Hall. In 2013, the local government spent 11.88 million RMB to repair these wooden structures. Visitors can taste the sweet, cool spring water that flows through the grounds, which believers drink to ward off misfortune.

High above, perched on the summit of Laoyin Mountain at an altitude of 2,162 meters, sits the Upper Temple. To reach this high-altitude sanctuary, travelers either ride an 886-meter cableway or climb 2,899 steep stone steps. The climb leads to five terraced platforms built directly into the mountain ridge. At the entrance, a stone archway bears the inscription 'Yunshan Gongyang.'

The Upper Temple blends Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian traditions. Its structures include the Tianwang Hall, the copper Buddha Hall, and the massive Daxiong Palace, which hangs over the mountain cliffs. Nearby, a nine-story golden pagoda rises into the sky, its wind bells ringing in the cold mountain wind. Inside the white-walled halls, amidst drifting incense smoke, visitors find an eighteen-meter-long reclining Buddha carved from smooth white marble, resting in eternal quiet. In the evening, the golden glazed tiles of the temple roofs catch the setting sun, glowing above the city of Gejiu and the waters of Jinhu Lake.