It was the Second Opium War and Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China that brought humiliation, destruction and even doom to this scenic Buddhist resort.
in the sixth year of Xianfeng (1856), Britain attacked Guangzhou under the pretext of the Yarrow incident. The following year, France used the incident of Father Ma as an excuse to form a coalition with Britain to invade China, with Erkin and Ge Luo as the plenipotentiary representatives of Britain and France, and each led its naval and military forces to concentrate in Hong Kong. At this time, the United States and Russia also declared their support for Britain and France to invade China. Soon Guangzhou fell to the British and French allied forces, and the ministers of the four countries went north together and arrived outside Dagukou in April of the eighth year of Xianfeng (1858). On May 2, the British and French allied forces captured Dagu Fort, and the Qing army was defeated. The allied warships sailed along the coastal river, arrived at Dongfuqiao on the 26th, and occupied the Sanchahekou area. The Qing army camped outside Haiguang Temple. Emperor Xianfeng was shocked when he saw this, and he was deeply afraid that Tianjin would repeat the mistakes of the Opium War. He thought that if Britain and France "take Dagu as Hong Kong and Tianjin as Guangzhou, how can they drive them away in the future?" Therefore, Gui Liang, a university student, and Huashanachi, a senior official of the official department, were sent to Tianjin for investigation.
When Gui Liang and Hua Shana arrived in Tianjin, they saw that Haiguang Temple was beautifully built and well-furnished, and there were soldiers stationed around it. So they chose to hold a banquet in the back and downstairs of Haiguang Temple on June 5. "North is the top, with three tables, two tables for east and west, red carpets on the floor, fresh surroundings, and neat wine and food." On June 7th, the French and Russian ministers were given a banquet in Haiguang Temple, and on June 8th, the American minister was given a banquet in Haiguang Temple. At that time, Russia and the United States were eager to get benefits, and the treaty was quickly agreed. However, Britain and France relied on the army to press their borders, tried to be brave and coerced, and their attitude was extremely arrogant. Even outside the negotiations, they went to Gui Liang and Washana to come up with 56 customized treaties. Force the two to agree. "Arrogant and malicious love, have a purpose to see * * *. Non-negotiable, that is, a word does not make it easier. "
After nearly a month's negotiations in Haiguang Temple, the British envoy Erjin refused to budge, and "pressed for permission to discuss the note, and his face was grim". Erjin even threatened that "if there is no final decision, he will only lead troops to flee north". Gui Liang and Hua Shana were really awed by the intimidation of Britain and France, claiming to be "exhausted" and proposing "five evils can't be fought", demanding that Emperor Xianfeng "compare the two evils, and talk about it as a way to avoid the heavy ones" and demanding "permission from the right" for the aggression of the four countries.
On June 26th, the Sino-British Tianjin Treaty was signed in Haiguang Temple, and the British envoy Erjin was full of ambition. When he came to Haiguang Temple, he competed to ride in a sedan chair for 3 times, with 5 or 6 troops, each armed with a knife and the same armor. There were dozens of foreign officials, and drums and music came together, which actually filled the temple. " The next day, the Sino-French Tianjin Treaty was signed, and the French ambassador Ge Luo "led more than 2 troops, followed dozens of foreign officials, and came with drums and music." "I returned to the museum very late that day, holding more than a hundred torches along the road and shining." The Sino-Russian Tianjin Treaty and the Sino-American Tianjin Treaty were signed on June 13th and 18th, respectively. Although the two countries are simple in manners, they are also arrogant. It should be said that from then on, Haiguang Temple became a witness of the humiliation of the country and the nation in China's modern history, so Haiguang Temple got a nickname-Signing Temple.
In the tenth year of Xianfeng (186), the British and French allied forces captured Dagu again and occupied Tianjin. The allied forces set up a north camp in Wanghai Temple in Hebei Province and a south camp in Haiguang Temple in the south of the city, and once detained Shi Zanqing, the magistrate of Tianjin, in Haiguang Temple. This is the first time that Haiguang Temple was occupied by foreign invaders. It was not until the eleventh year of Xianfeng (1861) that the allied forces withdrew from Haiguang Temple because of the signing of the Beijing Treaty (the continuation and supplement of the Tianjin Treaty) and the opening of Tianjin.
after the second opium war, the Qing government began to pay attention to the modernization of national defense and strengthen the defense of Kinki, and decided to purchase foreign arms machinery and set up a bureau in Tianjin to manufacture it. In the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867), Chonghou, the Minister of Trade and Industry of the Three Ports, set up the Arms Machinery Bureau in Jiajiagu Road, 18 miles east of Tianjin, and placed the machines made of gunpowder and copper caps (detonators) purchased by foreign countries here. This is the East Bureau; Then, the steam engine, cupola and revolving bed purchased from Shanghai and other places were placed in the newly-built factory building around Haiguang Temple as a sub-bureau, also known as the West Bureau. The West Bureau specializes in manufacturing guns and repairing machines for the East Bureau. According to the Tianjin Trade Report of 1867 by Di Toma, the taxation department of Tianjin Customs, "The Minister of Trade and Industry of Sankou has set up a machine factory and an ironmaking factory in Haiguang Temple under the supervision of foreign engineers, and towering chimneys can be built in such places, which shows that the theory of Feng Shui is not difficult to overcome." Because all the space outside the temple is occupied by the machinery bureau, the clear and open land has become a place of hubbub.