楊慎〈興教寺海棠〉詩，興教寺座落地點、觀看海棠樹時間，出現兩個版本，迄未有定論，而初誦其詩，但見作者一再致疑，或者只會聽到怨尤聲不斷，很容易以尋常牢騷度之；除非直探楊慎用晦行權的衷曲，方才得以進窺其矢志彬彬盛事的詩心。 今試逐項考查發現：衡諸詩人詠花木慣用體例，以及一份特殊情感，海棠樹不出雲南省境，此其一。檢循詩人行旅遊蹤與交通路線，興教寺排除位在關中的可能，此其二。求證方志文獻，比對詩文傳譜，明世宗嘉靖十年（1531年）正月，雲南興教寺海棠樹前曾留有詩人足跡和題詩墨寶，此其三。 尤其要表述的是，從〈興教寺海棠〉詩的考訂中，又可以覘知楊慎詩風隨其流寓南詔，自儂豔瞻逸轉變而為沈鬱奇拔的心路歷程，並且樂見海棠詩人因此正朝向一個人生的新境界。 或許，透過本詩也可以品第楊慎另外一種「真蹟」？

This paper aims at discovering the exact time and locality of a Chinese classical poem of seven character lines. First and foremost, the date of the lyric poem written down was in January of the lunar calendar of Jia Jihng (title of emperor's reign of Ming Dynasty) 10th year, A.D. 1531, while the poet was degarded and exiled to guard frontier regions of southwest Chinese mainland. Second, the position of Hsing - Chiao Temple was originally situated in Jian Chuan County of Yunnan Province. It is worth mentioning that Yang - Shen determined to write about his thoughts and feelings in exile.