Yunnan Honghe Mabang Ancient City | Yao Chujiben Residence, Qian Er Guan Maze, Mabang Hongyan, Three-inch Golden Lotus

Mabang Ancient City, located on the ridge of Dongmen Street, Yisa Town, Honghe County, Yunnan Province, was built in the 1940s. The ancient architectural complex includes Dongmen Tower, Yao Chujiben Residence, Yao Chujiben Backyard, Qian Er Guan Residence, Qian Er Guan Attached Building, and 3 private residences. Yao Chujiben Residence was built in 1944, specially designed by the French, it is a three-story building with a combination of Chinese and Western styles. It faces east to west, connected to Dongmen Tower, with tile roofs and brick walls, the exterior is square fortress-like, with defensive shooting holes, the architectural layout is staggered, solid and steady. Qian Er Guan's brick arch courtyard is built like a maze, with a total of 8 courtyards, 44 rooms, and 188 doors and windows. The structure is like a maze, the main architectural features have the architectural style of the Central Plains at that time, and also the charm of Jiangnan architecture. From the 1850s to the 1940s, nearly a hundred years of history, the horse teams formed by Yisa people went abroad and did the tea, salt and tobacco business to Southeast Asia, with footprints all over Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar. By the end of the Republic of China, the Yunnan Tobacco Gang rose, and the Yisa people took the opportunity to expand the horse team organization, with strong soldiers and horses, drinking horses in the Mekong River, crossing the Li Xian River, and traveling back and forth between China and Southeast Asian countries all year round. In order to expand and strengthen the business, many people lived abroad and did business locally. After many years of 'going down the dam' and 'walking the tobacco gang', the businessmen of Yisa made a fortune and invested in building houses. The houses they built included both Chinese and Western style houses and European style brick and wood structures. In Yisa, people call the wives of those who go abroad for business with horses 'Mabang Hongyan'. Men go abroad for business with the horse team, some of them disappear without a trace, some die in foreign lands, some stay in foreign countries, marry and have children and live abroad. The Mabang Hongyan used their weak shoulders to support helpless families, with 'three-inch golden lotus' shouldering the burden of the family, respecting their parents-in-law, raising children and managing the household. On May 22, 2018, 104-year-old Grandma Sun passed away. Grandma Sun, whose name was Qu Lanqiao, was a long-lived elderly person in Yisa Town, Honghe, and the last 'Mabang Hongyan'. 📍Detailed address: Mabang Ancient City: 48 Dongmen Street, Honghe County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province Ticket: Free admission