The museum is a classical Yi nationality architecture. The main building was in three traditional colors of red, yellow and black, painted with pictures of sun, moon, mountains, rivers, sheep and other motifs from nature.
The museum has a construction area of 5,000 square meters, with about 1,000 square meters for exhibition, which is divided into nine show halls: Social Productivity, Social Classes, Family Custom, Religion, Marriage and Family, Literature and Art, Folklores, Struggle between Slaves and Slave System, and Handwriting of National Leaders and Foreign Guests. Among the cultural relics on display, relics of Yi nationality total 4,196 items, including gold, jade, bronze, iron, bamboo, bone, and silk, etc.