Huili is an ancient town lying in the far south of Sichuan Province. Founded in 111 BC, its name conveys the meaning "rivers and plains converging". As a key stop on the Southern Silk Road, it earned the title "Gateway Between Sichuan and Yunnan". Huili features a well-preserved Ming Dynasty military guard post, with streets radiating from the Bell and Drum Tower to four gates, part of a checkerboard layout that also comprises 23 lanes. Gongji Tower, with its earthen walls faced with stone, is a rare "Yuan foundation, Ming facade" structure. The 156-meter long Kejia Lane is famous for having been home to more than 390 high-level scholars in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Across Huili, its Ming and Qing residences, guild halls and ancestral temples, as well as its stone-paved streets, retain a powerful sense of past glory.