Baisha Ancient Town and Murals 白沙古镇与壁画

About Baisha Ancient Town and Murals

The Dabaoji Palace and Liuli Hall building group, with the adjoining Dading Pavilion, Jin'gang Hall and Wenchang Palace courtyards, dates from the Ming dynasty and combines Naxi, Han, Bai and Tibetan building techniques. On 2025-09-29 it was named, together with a tamarisk tree of over 500 years old growing beside it, to China's first national joint protection register linking cultural-relic sites with old and notable trees; Yunnan Daily reports the tamarisk as the oldest of its kind in China.

Across the complex, 45 original mural panels survive, painted over more than 300 years beginning in the early Ming by a mixed team of Han, Tibetan, Bai and Naxi Dongba and Daoist painters, blending Buddhist, Daoist and Dongba religious subject matter. The murals inside Dabaoji Palace alone — 12 panels totalling 61.23 square metres — are singled out by Lijiang's municipal media as the group's centrepiece. Damaged by centuries of weathering, the murals underwent a four-year restoration beginning in 2019, and the newly restored Baisha Mural Museum reopened to the public in January 2024.

What to look for

• The 12 surviving mural panels inside Dabaoji Palace, the largest single group at 61.23 square metres
• The Ming-dynasty Dabaoji Palace and Liuli Hall building complex
• The more-than-500-year-old tamarisk tree beside Dabaoji Palace and Liuli Hall

Location & getting there

Getting to Baisha Ancient Town and Murals

Identify the main visitor approach and any separately managed houses, museums or performances. Ask before entering residential spaces or photographing residents.

• Search for 白沙古镇与壁画 with 丽江市 and 玉龙纳西族自治县.