At No. 1, Guanmenkou, along Qiyi Street in Lijiang Old Town, stands a residential compound built in 1914. It sits on the west bank of the Middle River, right next to the stone arches of the historic Wanzi Bridge. This quadrangle courtyard, facing southeast, was the home of Zhou Lin, a Naxi painter and poet who lived from 1902 to 1977. He became the first ethnic minority artist to hold a solo exhibition at the National Art Museum of China in 1963.

Underfoot, the central courtyard patio is paved with a mosaic of hexagonal bricks, smooth river cobblestones, and clay roof tiles. Walking through the main corridor, visitors see a wooden plaque inscribed with the words "Model of the Hometown." Tang Jiyao, the Yunnan Military Governor, brushed these characters in 1918 to honor Zhou Lin's relative, the local scholar Zhou Weiming.

The architecture reflects a blend of regional styles. The north wing rises as a traditional Naxi corner stilt house. The west wing features the overhanging "manlou diaoxia" style, hiding commercial storefronts behind its wooden frame. The south wing consists of simple, flat-roofed rooms. The East Wing houses Zhou Lin's personal studio, Guanwo Xuan. The builders shaped this room to resemble a small boat. When you stand inside, the windows open directly over the rushing Middle River. Here, Zhou Lin mixed his pigments and wrote his poems. The constant murmur of flowing water and the cool, damp draft rising from the canal fill the studio.