Eight centuries ago, during the late Song and early Yuan dynasties, Naxi builders in Lijiang Old Town designed a water system that still shapes daily life. In the neighborhoods of Qiyi Street, Guangbi Lane, and Baima Longtan, underground springs rise to meet a cascading stone architecture. This is the Sanyanjing, or Three-Eyed Well system, a series of five major historical sites including Gebawu and Jibaowu.

The system relies on gravity. Natural elevation drops guide the water through three linked stone ponds. The first pond, catching the fresh spring water at its source, provides drinking water. The overflow spills into the second pond, where residents rinse vegetables and kitchenware. The water then flows into the third pond for washing clothes before discharging into the city's canal network.

Walking these narrow streets, your feet press against uneven cobblestones and smooth five-flower stone slabs. The surrounding homes display classical Naxi architecture. You can see the Three Lanes and One Screen Wall layout, the Four Courtyards with Five Skylights design, and the elevated Walking Horse Corner Towers. Local artisans decorated these structures with deep wood carvings on doors and structural beams. Beside the Baima Longtan well, stone balustrades protect the water, standing next to poetry steles carved by local gentry during the Republican era.

Today, the area is a core part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site designated in 1997. Some historic properties, like the Yibang Hotel, preserve seven protected courtyards along Guangbi Lane. Visitors can still hear the rhythmic splash of laundry in the third basin and feel the cold mountain water, experiencing an ancient ecological wisdom that remains active today.