The "guest" in the poem "Laughing and asking where the guest comes from" refers to He Zhizhang, the poet himself.
"Laughing and Asking Where the Guest Comes from" comes from He Zhizhang's poem "Two Poems on Returning to Hometown". The original text of this poem is: "When a young boy leaves home and his elder brother returns home, his local pronunciation remains unchanged and his hair on his temples fades away. When children see each other but don't recognize each other, they laugh and ask where the guest is from."
The translation of this poem is : I left my hometown when I was young and didn’t come back until I was very old. Although my local accent has not changed, the hair on my temples has turned gray. When the children in my hometown saw me, no one recognized me. They smiled and asked me - where did this guest come from?
Appreciation of this poem: This is a sentimental poem about visiting a foreign land for a long time and remembering my hometown. Written when I first arrived, it expresses the sadness of being a long-term visitor. As far as the whole poem is concerned, one or two sentences are still average, but the three or four sentences are like twists and turns and have a different realm.
The creative background of this poem: In 744 AD, He Zhizhang resigned from his official position in the court, retired and returned to his hometown of Yongxing, Yuezhou. He was already eighty-six years old. At this time, it had been a long time since he left his hometown in middle age. More than fifty years old. Life is easy to grow old, the world is full of vicissitudes, and there are infinite emotions in my heart.
Personal profile of He Zhizhang
He Zhizhang (about 659-about 744), also known as Jizhen, called himself "Siming Kuangke" and "Secretary and External Supervisor" in his later years. He lived in Yuezhou for a long time. A native of Xing (now Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang). Poet and calligrapher of Tang Dynasty. When he was young, he was famous for his poetry. In the first year of Zhengsheng (695), Wu Zetian became the number one scholar in Yiwei, and was awarded Doctorate of the Four Gates of Guozi and moved to Doctorate of Taichang. During the Kaiyuan period, Zhang Shuo served as the book editor of Lizheng Palace. He invited Zhizhang to join the academy and co-authored "Liu Dian" and "Wen Zhuan".
Afterwards, he was succeeded by Taichang Shaoqing, who was moved to the position of Minister of Rites, added a bachelor of Jixian Academy, and was granted the title of Minister of Works. Russia moved to secretary-supervisor. He was open-minded and uninhibited, a good drinker, and was known as a "clear talker", especially in his later years. At the beginning of Tianbao, he asked the Taoist priest to return to his hometown. He was given a song by Jinghu Yanchuan and a poem written by the emperor as a gift. The crown prince followed him and said goodbye. He built Qianqiu Temple and lived in seclusion there. He died not long afterward at the age of eighty-six. Suzong presented it to the Minister of Rites.
For the above content, refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Two Poems on Returning to Hometown