In the middle section of East Street, within the Wenlan Subdistrict of Mengzi, stands a hexagonal-pointed, double-eaved wooden pavilion. Built during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Mengzi Kuixing Tower served as an auxiliary structure of the historic Confucian Temple complex. Scholars came here to worship Kuixing, the deity of academic success.

During the Kangxi era, the local scholar Li Yuandu held his ink-dipped brush to write the four characters, "Da Kui Hai Nei," meaning the greatest scholar in the nation. His plaque hung on the north side of the pavilion. Today, that original wooden board is lost. The tower remains as one of the few surviving structures of Mengzi's old city.

The architecture shows the physical labor of Qing Dynasty carpenters. They shaped the timber-framed joints to lock together, supporting the sweeping upturned eaves that cut through the bright Yunnan sky. On the second story, visitors can touch the cool, rough grain of the stone balustrades and run their fingers over the carved watching pillars. The scent of aged wood still lingers in the air.

In July 2021, the surrounding neighborhood became the East Street Historic and Cultural District, a designated Provincial Historical and Cultural Street of Yunnan Province. On May 9, 2026, the local government formally listed the tower as a prefecture-level protected cultural heritage site under the ninth batch of protection units in the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

Today, the tower connects the past with the present. During recent educational walks, local children traced the paths of historical scholars along East Street. They stood beneath the same wooden eaves, listening to the quiet creak of the ancient timber. The tower remains a physical remnant of the region's educational history, anchoring the memory of a city that continues to value the pursuit of knowledge.