Study On The Evolution Of The Nan Hai Sacrificial Temple

Guangzhou Nanhai Temple, also known as the Baltic Temple, is a national key cultural monument under special preservation. Established in the Sui dynasty 14(594), 1422 years ago, it is not only the place of sacrifice to the Sea God(Poseidon in ancient China), but also part of the national fete for Yue Zhen Hai du. The location of it was the mouth of Fu Xv River and the river bend of Huang Mu. Ancient Fu Xu Town was once a critical town in Guangzhou for maritime transport and trade, and occupied a very important position in the Maritime Silk Road. The basic pattern of Ming and Qing dynasties is preserved here, as the current Nanhai Temple buildings are mostly restorations during Ming and Qing dynasties and modern times. However, its value should not be confined to the building itself. Some of the early architectural patterns of the overall style survived in the course of historical development are extraordinarily precious materials, for which reason that it is worthwhile to study the transition of its architecture and of great significance to investigate and protect the historical authenticity of Nanhai Temple’s cultural buildings.There have been a wealth of research findings in the aspects of history and geography and how to integrate the architectural research with the research of other disciplines is the key point of this study. Nanhai Temple, as part of Yue Zhen Hai du national fete, is dedicated to the South Sea God that is one of the most essential god among Gods of Water believed by the south folk. The development of the temple is influenced by the state system, the religious culture, the civil activities, the environment of the port town, etc. Through field investigation and the interpretation of relative literature and subjects, the author tries to explore the relationship between various elements and the architecture, clarify the value of Nanhai temple buildings, provide reference data for the protection and utilization of the survived Nanhai Temple, and guide the sustainable exploitation of Nanhai Temple, thereby making a beneficial research to support the application of the Maritime Silk Road for World Cultural Heritage.This paper discusses the origin and cultural connotation of the faith of South Sea God, analyses the composition of the God system stemming from specific nation, folk and religion and the relationship of various faiths, and summarizes the ritual culture background created by the country as well as the reasons why the temple was decided to be built in Fu Xv Town. Moreover, this study combines the Nanhai temple building’s current status and the characteristic of its overall layout, and uses the past dynasties’ historical graphic materials and inscription literature, so as to further improve and complement the research having been made by the scholars such as Professor Long Qing-zhong on restoring the evolutionary process of the Nanhai Temple’s layout. Finally, from the aspects of economics, faiths, and institutions, the author comprehensively analyzes the impact of five elements-nation, folk, religion, environment and armies-on the Nanhai Temple architecture during various periods of its development.