During our string of relocations in quick succession due to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), the IHP was ordered to relocate to Kunming, Yunnan province, in 1938. But because of the frequent bombings, the IHP moved to Longquan town located in the northern suburb of Kunming just a few months later. Since Longquan lacked large-scale infrastructure, IHP staff had to work in separate offices and workspaces throughout the town. Amitābha (Mituo) Hall, for example, was used to store Chinese-language materials as well as shared workspaces for the then IHP divisions. Similarly, Xiangying Temple was temporarily repurposed as offices and storage for foreign-language materials. A final example is Puhui Temple, which housed the Physical Anthropology Division.    
The Archives preserves a number of the rental contracts signed between the IHP and the above halls and temples, among other parties. Many of the signatories are IHP research fellows, and the representatives and intermediaries of the latter include Yang Xiaoshan (?–?), a school president, Li Maoxian (?–?), and Zhao Chongyi (?–?). Furthermore, photographs taken by IHP Research Fellow Chang-ju Shih (1902–2004) provide a glimpse of the appearance of the buildings. Taken as a whole, these materials offer valuable insight into the relationship between the IHP and the local residents of Longquan.