The Baozhuangyan Temple was first constructed by the monk Tanyu under orders from
Emperor Wu of the
Liang in AD 537. It was constructed to house the relics of
Cambodian
Buddhist saints which had been brought to
Panyu (modern
Guangzhou). The temple was burned down and rebuilt during the
Northern Song dynasty. Around the same time,
Su Shi composed a poem "Six
Banyans" (
Liu Rong) in honor of a visit to the temple. It was since renamed in honor of the famous poem. The Flower Pagoda, the main structure of the temple, was built in 1097 and was named for its colorful exterior. The structure that had been there before had a square base, but the Flower Pagoda was designed with an octagonal one. It was rebuilt again in 1373 after another fire in the early
Ming dynasty period and restored in 1900. ==Gallery==