The Chaotian Palace is located in Shuiximen, Qinhuai District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. It is the highest level, largest scale, and most fully preserved Ming and Qing official style ancient architectural community in the Jiangnan region, and is known as the "Number One Scenic Spot in Jinling". The name Chaotian Palace was bestowed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, with the meaning of "worshipping heaven" and "meeting the emperor". It was a Taoist temple for the Ming Dynasty royal family to burn incense and pray for blessings, as well as a place for civil and military officials to practice the etiquette of worshipping the emperor before festivals. It is the highest level royal Taoist temple in the Ming Dynasty, along with the Shenle Temple. [1] Chaotian Palace is a typical Ming and Qing dynasty palace style architecture, and its architectural pattern, style, and construction technology are important and rare physical materials for studying ancient Chinese architecture, especially Ming and Qing architecture. It has extremely high historical, artistic, and scientific value. In the Chaotian Palace, there is a Confucian Temple, to the east is the Fuxue Temple, and to the west is the Bianzhu Temple. In the south of the Confucian Temple is surrounded by the screen wall of "Ten Thousand Ren Palace Wall". In the palace wall is Panchi, and on the east and west sides are brick memorial archway. The front is Lingxing Gate. On both sides of the gate, there are Wenli Zhai and Si Shen Ku in the east, Wuguan Zhai and Si Ya Ting in the west. Across the Lingxing Gate to the north, there are Dacheng Gate, Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Hall, and Jingyi Pavilion in turn. The east and west sides of Dacheng Hall have twelve verandas and corridors respectively. In the east of Jingyi Pavilion, there are Feiyun Pavilion, Feixia Pavilion, and Imperial Stele Pavilion.
During the Southern Dynasty, Chaotian Palace was the location of the earliest scientific research institution in southern China, the General Ming Temple, and was the highest level social science research institution in China at that time. The temple gathered scientific elites from various parts of the country during the Southern Dynasty, exchanging and researching the achievements of social sciences and cultural arts at the General Ming Temple. The Zongming Temple divided into five disciplines: literature, history, Confucianism, Taoism, and yin and yang, and appointed twenty renowned scholars to hold teaching positions, making it a grand event in the literary world. Later on, the four disciplines of literature, history, Confucianism, and yin and yang gradually disappeared, and the Taoist school gradually merged with Taoism to build Taoist temples on Yeshan. From then on, Yeshan began to become a Taoist destination, with continuous incense. The camera shows from south to north that the Chaotian Palace is surrounded by modern buildings in the city, feeling the transformation from brick and wood architecture, red walls and yellow tiles, to modern high-rise buildings after time's baptism. At the same time, it also comprehensively displays the tranquility of the palace, not being infected by modern noise. Fearless of external changes, still emerald green, still quiet and peaceful, still with a historical charm.