Guardian of the whispering murals

In the quiet hour before dawn, when Baisha ancient town still slumbers at the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang, Yunnan province, 57-year-old Yang Zhijian begins his daily work.

As the curator of the Baisha Mural Museum, his mornings are spent in a silent communion with history: checking the condition of centuries-old murals, recording the temperature and humidity inside temple halls, inspecting fire safety equipment, and walking through courtyards dotted with ancient architecture and timeworn trees.

The museum, located in Baisha, known as the original settlement of the Naxi ethnic group in Lijiang, is home to a cluster of buildings in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). These exquisite frescoes and ancient buildings stand as vivid testimony to the region's artistic sophistication and cultural diversity.

Painted across temple and palace walls, the murals depict religious stories and scenes from Taoism and Buddhism, showcasing a harmonious blend of artistic styles from the Naxi, Tibetan and Bai ethnic groups.

In ancient times, the town used to be the center of silk embroidery in Southwest China and a key stop along the ancient Tea and Horse Road, a significant trade route that once linked Yunnan to parts of India through Manipur.

"My hometown is Baisha, so I often came to see these murals as a child," Yang says.