Site of the Goryeo Embassy

Site of the Goryeo Embassy

The Site of the Goryeo Embassy is a cultural relic protection unit in Haishu District.

Friendly exchanges between Mingzhou and Goryeo began during the Han and Three Kingdoms periods. With the eastward spread of Buddhism, monks from the Silla Kingdom of the Korean Peninsula came to eastern Zhejiang to worship and seek scriptures. During the Tang Dynasty, Jang Bogo, a Goryeo maritime trader, came to Ningbo for trade and brought back Yue kiln craftsmen from eastern Zhejiang to his homeland, thereby introducing porcelain-making techniques to the Korean Peninsula. By the Song Dynasty, due to northern blockades by the Khitan, Mingzhou became the main port for bilateral exchanges, and interactions grew increasingly frequent. To receive Goryeo envoys and their entourages, approval was sought and granted from the Song imperial court, leading to the construction of this embassy. The Goryeo Embassy was built in the seventh year of the Zhenghe era during the Northern Song Dynasty (1117) and was destroyed after the Jin invasion from the north (1130). Later, the site hosted a Liquor Office, the garden of Shi Hao — a Southern Song prime minister — and the Baokui Temple. Despite the vicissitudes of history, the ancient temple still remains, and it has become a symbolic structure marking the site. After the ancient temple was relocated and restored, it was turned into an exhibition room showcasing historical relics, making it a testament to the friendly relations between Mingzhou and Goryeo, as well as an important window into the historic and cultural legacy of Ningbo.