At No. 124 Shiping Street in Xizhou Ancient Town, the scent of freshly shaved timber drifts from a traditional Bai-style courtyard. This is the Xizhou Tiangongfang Workshop, a sanctuary for the wood-carving heritage of the Bai ethnic minority. Visitors cross a threshold into a small entrance courtyard, or tianjing, before entering a quiet, four-sided inner courtyard. Here, ancient pomegranate trees and clusters of green succulents grow against the stone walls, and a small café operates in one corner.

Inside, the air carries the sharp, clean aroma of wood. The workshop displays the physical labor of generations. Master carver Luo Yehui works here, guiding chisels through blocks of local wood to continue a lineage of manual craftsmanship. His hands shape everything from small, balanced bamboo dragonflies to heavy tables, chairs, and lifelike human figures. Every surface bears the physical ridges of hand-carved cuts, a tactile record of human effort.

In 2023, this quiet space gained global attention. It served as the filming location for the "Wood Carving Yard" in the television drama Meet Yourself. In the show, the courtyard represented the workspace of the characters Xiaxia and his master, Xie Heshun. Today, visitors can stand in the very spot where these scenes were filmed and examine the actual pieces featured on screen, including the "Buddha's Hand Lotus" and detailed lotus carvings.

The workshop remains an active cultural site along a historic route that connects Sifang Street, the curved Corner Building, and the nearby agricultural fields. It is a place where the past is preserved through physical work, offering a quiet pause where the sound of metal meeting wood still echoes.