Wenshuyuan Xiangyuan-Vegetarian Restaurant

The Wenshuyuan Xiangyuan Vegetarian Restaurant sits inside a walled compound of dark timber and gray clay tiles, distinguished by the scent of simmering mushrooms and soy drifting from its open kitchen windows. This kitchen serves the adjacent Wenshu Monastery, a sprawling Buddhist complex that has operated here since the Sui dynasty. Before it became a public dining hall, these rooms housed monks who practiced strict vegetarianism, transforming simple seasonal vegetables and fermented bean curd into elaborate multi-course meals for visiting pilgrims and local officials.