Jiangxinyu

Jiangxin Temple The Jiangxin Islet used to consist of two islets in the Ou River, each of which was home to a Buddhist temple. The one on the western side was built in 866 as the Jingxin Chan Monastery. The one on the eastern side was built in 969 as the Pujì Chan Monastery. In the years that followed, each monastery constructed a pagoda beside its main complex. In 1137, the monk Qingliao led followers in filling the central channel between the two islets, thereby joining them into a single landmass. A temple was built on the reclaimed ground, known as Zhongchuan Temple and commonly referred to as Jiangxin Temple. Shortly afterwards, Emperor Gaozong conferred upon it the name Longxiang Xingqing Chan Temple and designated it as a ritual site for the imperial clan. Its reputation continued to grow thereafter, and by the Ming and Qing periods even monks from overseas travelled there to practise meditation and pay homage. Diplomatic mission In 1876, under the Chefoo Convention, Wenzhou was opened as a treaty port. In the spring of the following year, the British consul at Wenzhou, Sir Chaloner Alabaster, arrived in the city and requisitioned Haoran Pavilion within Jiangxin Temple on the Jiangxin Islet for use as the consulate premises. Owing to the limited number of foreign residents in Wenzhou, although the British and American consuls reached an agreement with the Intendant of the Wenchu local government to establish a concession, it was never put into effect in practice. In 1894, the British consul demarcated a parcel of land at the foot of the East Pagoda on the Jiangxin Islet and erected a consular residence together with a police station. The island was subsequently designated a restricted zone from which Chinese people were excluded. During this period, Buddhist scriptures and other artefacts were removed from within the East Pagoda, and the local authorities were required to dismantle its projecting eaves and surrounding galleries. Dredging and expansion By 1969, the Jiangxin Islet was still modest in scale, measuring about from east to west and from north to south, with an area of roughly . Shoals had formed to its west, and the river channel was constrained by surrounding topography. Sediment was readily deposited, and the mid-channel bar gradually developed into a more stable island. Historically, the main current shifted between the northern and southern branches at intervals of around 15 years. In 1960, the southern branch carried 33% of the ebb-tide discharge; by the early 1970s this had fallen to 15%. Tourism development In 1986, Jiangxin Pier was completed, and submarine cables were laid to provide electricity, telephone connections and running water to the island. Administrative arrangements were subsequently formalised: a subdistrict office was established in 1989, and in 1992 the island's management body was renamed the Jiangxin Islet Park Administration of Lucheng District. During the mid-1990s, around two hectares of undeveloped land were landscaped with approximately CN¥3 million in private investment, introducing temporary cultural and leisure facilities. In 1998, the Wenzhou municipal government launched a CN¥38 million improvement scheme, after which the island opened at night. Further upgrades to the pier and utilities followed in 2001. That year the authorities set the objective of promoting the island as the “Island of Poetry”, and it was designated a national AAAA tourist attraction by the end of the year. In 2003, the management body was renamed the Jiangxin Islet Scenic Area Administration. The western section, approximately long and just over wide, with an area of , was leased for tourism and resort development. Following the opening of Dong’ou Bridge in 2003, the island gained direct road access to both banks of the river. By 2009, more than 90 per cent of visitors were from within Wenzhou, indicating limited wider appeal. In 2022, the municipal government initiated a further upgrading scheme for the western section, including the planned integration of the island's lake system and an emphasis on classical poetry as a defining cultural theme. == Tourist attractions ==

Cultural heritage Jiangxin Islet was historically the site of two Buddhist temples founded in the 9th and 10th centuries respectively. In 1137, the monk Qingliao oversaw the joining of the two islets and the construction of a unified temple complex, thereafter known as Jiangxin Temple. By the 12th and 13th centuries it was regarded as one of the leading Chan monasteries in China, and it underwent several major restorations between the 14th and 17th centuries. Haoran Pavilion, overlooking the river, was first constructed in 1580 and rebuilt in 1773 at its present location. It was included in Wenzhou's first list of protected cultural properties in 1981. Xie Gong Pavilion, near the river on the south eastern side of West Pagoda Hill, commemorates the poet Xie Lingyun, traditionally associated with the site. The pavilion has been rebuilt several times, most recently in the 20th century, and was also designated a protected cultural property in 1981. Museums Wenzhou Bonsai Garden is a specialist bonsai garden on Jiangxin Islet. Its origins lie in a small garden established in 1958 within the grounds of Miaoguo Temple. The collection gained wider recognition after participating in a national bonsai exhibition in Beijing in 1979 and the first provincial bonsai exhibition in Zhejiang in 1981. In 1987, as part of the island's expansion, a new garden was laid out on the western side and formally named Wenzhou Bonsai Garden. It now displays more than 500 bonsai specimens and forms an established element of the islet's cultural and visitor offering. Wenzhou Memorial Hall of Revolutionary Martyrs stands on the former site of Longxiang Temple, first built in 969 and lost by the mid 20th century. Plans to construct a memorial on the site were approved in 1956. In 1987, the complex was enlarged to form its present layout of two memorial stelae aligned with a central exhibition building. The principal stele rises to 15 metres, and the hall itself is a two-storey structure. The exhibitions focus on modern revolutionary history in the Wenzhou region and on the lives of local martyrs. In 1988, the site was designated a key protected revolutionary memorial building at provincial level. Wenzhou Revolutionary History Museum, opened in May 2008, occupies the refurbished premises of the former Wenzhou Museum and covers an area of 1,880 square metres. The permanent exhibition presents the history of the New Democratic Revolution in Wenzhou, organised into four chronological sections with fifteen thematic units. It displays more than 550 photographs and 208 artefacts, supported by audio visual installations and reconstructed scenes. == References ==