Bīnchuān

Binchuan lies east of Dali beneath the peaks of Jizu Mountain, one of the great Buddhist sacred places of southwestern China. Its monasteries and shrines drew pilgrims from distant provinces, among them the monk Jingwen, who died before reaching the mountain. The traveler Xu Xiake carried his companion's remains to Jizu in 1638, fulfilling his wish to be buried there. Xu returned in 1639, examining the mountain's springs, cliffs and temples and helping compile a gazetteer of the sacred mountain.