Temple of the Six Banyan Trees

This guide to the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees in Guangzhou centers on Su Dongpo, one of China's most famous poets, who passed through in the year 1100 near the end of a hard life spent partly in exile. It follows the afternoon he stopped at a temple called Jinghui, admired six old banyan trees in its courtyard, and left the abbot two brushstrokes that gave the place its lasting name. His reputation as an eater later attached a rich braised pork dish to his memory, though he himself wrote fondly of plain rice, cheap wine, and a good broth.