At the base of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, within the stone-paved lanes of Baisha Ancient Town, the Lijiang Baisha Jinxiu Art Institute preserves a fragile heritage. Founded in 2003 by Chen Zhi to rescue endangered Naxi embroidery, this 3,200-square-meter sanctuary occupies a traditional Naxi courtyard built in the style of the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty. Visitors step through four successive, interconnected courtyards, where the scent of aged pine wood mingles with the sharp aroma of ink from Xu Yunkui’s heavy-color woodblock prints.

Inside, the quiet is punctuated by the rhythmic whisper of silk thread passing through stretched fabric. Here, master embroiderer Mo Meiyan guides the hands of local women.In the Embroidery Inheritance Classroom, these artisans execute precise double-sided stitches and assemble the traditional Naxi garments known as "Starlight and Moonlight."The physical structure of the institute mirrors the historical depth of the art. Seven dedicated halls, including the Chunhe Gallery—housing the paintings of general art consultant Zhang Chunhe—and the Tang and Song Dynasty Elegance Hall, frame the central courtyards. In these spaces, history is measured in millimeters.

As you walk the creaking floorboards of the Ming and Qing Dynasty Rhyme Hall, you can touch the rough, fibrous edges of handmade Dongba paper and watch the steady glint of steel needles. The institute, recognized in December 2025 as a Characteristic Cultural Courtyard of Lijiang Ancient Town, functions as a living workshop. It connects the ancient capital of the Naxi kingdom to the modern world, offering a quiet space where the passage of time is marked by the slow, deliberate accumulation of colored thread.