仁威庙

This guide to Renwei Temple in Guangzhou starts with a fisherman pressing green rice shoots into a dragon boat's hull, a ritual called cai qing meant to wake the vessel before it touches water. It follows that custom back to the temple itself, raised in 1052 to honor Zhenwu, the Taoist god of water and the north, and rebuilt across the Ming and Qing dynasties as Xiguan's villagers kept returning to its steps before every festival season. Along the way you'll hear how the temple doubled as a meeting hall where trustees managed shared land and festival funds. Look up at the carved roof ridges before you head back down to the water.