In 1941, the writer Lao She walked down Shishang Street in the ancient town of Xizhou, Yunnan, and paused before a majestic archway of local Dali marble. This was the Dexin Stone Archway, a structure built to honor Madame Dong Shuchuan. In 1938, Madame Dong, sister-in-law of the Yongchangxiang merchant group founder Yan Zizhen, donated her wealth to establish the Shuchuan Girls' School. The stone archway rose at the school's entrance to commemorate her philanthropy, standing alongside the Cangyi Library, which Yan Zizhen also funded.

Today, the archway serves as the ceremonial entrance to the Dali Xizhou Town Central Primary School. Visitors can touch the cool, smooth surface of the marble, feeling the precise chisel marks where Bai minority craftsmanship meets Han architectural style. The calligraphic inscriptions on the stone still carry traces of the gold leaf that once caught the morning sun. Across the street, the Ming-dynasty Ziyun Shan Temple releases the faint scent of incense, while the laughter of school children echoes from the courtyard behind the gate.

The Dexin Stone Archway belongs to a wider landscape of learning in Xizhou. Nearby, the Tuming, Hanlin, and Enrong archways also celebrate academic success and civic duty. Together with the historic library and the school, this stone archway remains a physical anchor for a community that has long equated education with honor.