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Vanessa1027 (talk) 00:29, 26 October 2013 (UTC)

Jinghai Temple is a temple which was built in 15th century in the southwest of Shizi Mountain  in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. It was constructed to recognize the contribution of Zheng He’s voyage by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In 1842, China’s first unequal treaty Treaty of Nanking was discussed for four times in the temple. Latter, it was devastated in the Taiping Rebellion and the Second Sino-Japanese War.

In 1988, the Government of Nanjing decided to rebuilt the temple at its original site. In 1990, the Nanjing Treaty Historical Exhibition Museum was established. After expansions in 1996 and 2005, Jinghai Temple then became a memorial for the history events and exhibits the material and object about Zheng He’s Voyage, Nanjing Treaty, etc. Jinghai Temple has became a National 4A Level Scenic Spot, National Patriotism Education Base and Nanjing Relic Protection Unit.

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Overall Introduction
Jinghai Temple (Temple of the Calm Sea) was built in 1416 by the Yongle emperor of Ming dynasty to honor Zheng He who is not only an eunuch but also an envoy of the whole Ming dynasty. He had traveled to India and even as far as the east coast of Africa for seven times through seas. The temple was first built as a dedication to the Goddess of the Sea, Tianfei. It was also called "Tin Hua" in Hong Kong. Tin Hua or Tianfei was created by the emperor for the namesake of a young woman from Fujian province in China who dedicated herself and rescued lots of distressed sailors miraculously on seas.

It was one of the largest and most grandiose temples in Nanjing. It has witnessed the failure of the Qing dynasty in "The first Opium War", on August 29, 1842. The British ship, Cornwallis, anchored on the Yangtze River which is just on the west of Jinghai Temple. This location was the place where the first unequal treaty, , was signed. In the Republican Period, after the Taiping Rebellion and the destruction of the traditional architectures during the Cultural Revolution, the temple had almost disappeared. A reconstruction of Jinghai Temple was in process in 1987. After that, it was expanded in 1996 by the decision of the local government. Then it had became the museum of Nanjing Treaty. Before the return of Hong Kong to mainland China in 1996, this museum was a place that large nationalistic gatherings took place. Today the museum occupies only 15% of the Jinghai Temple. The only part of the original temple survives until today is a stele which was established and written by the Yongle emperor himself to describe why the temple was built at that time.

In addition, the museum was built next to a large outcropping rock known as Sansuyan (Three Night Crag) where the Southern Song general, Yu Yunwen, moored his fleet for three nights on his return trip after defeating the Jin army in Anhui province. User:Vanessa1027/Overall Introduction

History
Jinghai Temple was built in Ming Dynasty to praise Zheng He’s contribution who helped the Ming dynasty for enhancing the communication and friendship with other Asian countries. Meanwhile, it is also a place where offers the Arhat portraits which is one part of Buddha, teeth relic of the Buddha and jade wares, etc. Jinghai, literally means peace and ocean in Chinese, which indicates blessings for the people who are on voyage. Then, it had gradually developed as a universal peace latter on. More amazing is that Jinghai Temple was rebuilt and fixed for three times in different time periods of Chinese history.

In June, 1840, Great Britain declared a war and antagonized China, which was known as the First Opium War. In 1842, British troops invaded Nanjing. The whole China was in panic and under a great threat by the British evaders. The Qing government had discussed the unequal treaty with British government for four times in Jinghai Temple. On August 29, the Qing governmemt was forced to signed the  which is the first unequal treaty in modern Chinese history at a British navy ship. Therefore, Jinghai Temple had became the symbol of the beginning of Chinese modern history.

During the past five centuries, Jinghai Temple had underwent disasters and warfare which caused damage to it. In 1987, it was rebuilt with 628 square meters in the format of Ming dynasty. Since it could not be as same as the original one, Jinghai Temple was then called "Old Jinghai Temple Site". In 1990, Nanjing government decided to make it as a public places, Nanjing Treaty Historical Exhibition Museum, in order to remained Chinese people for not forget the history. At the end of 1996, the local government had invested significant amount of money to fix and rebuilt it to celebrate Hong Kong’s return. The Jinghai Temple was expended to 2800 square meters in total. The structure of it is simple but elegant, similar to the Jiangnan garden style. In 1997, Jinghai Temple was honored as one of 100 National Patriotism Education Bases.

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