National Hero - Lin ZeXu

Lin Zexu (1785-1850)was a Chinese scholar and official of the Qing Dynasty. He is most recognized for his conduct and his constant position on the "moral high ground" in his fight, as a "shepherd" of his people, against the opium trade in Guangzhou. Although the non-medicinal consumption of opium was banned by the Yongzheng Emperor in 1729,by the 1830s, China's economy and society were being seriously affected by huge imports of opium from British and other foreign traders based in the city. Lin's forceful opposition to the trade on moral and social grounds is considered to be the primary catalyst for the First Opium War of 1839–1842. Because of this firm stance, he has subsequently been considered as a role model for moral governance, particularly by the Chinese.

Lin Zexu is the first person in China who opened his eyes to see the world. He opposed the opening of China but felt the need of a better knowledge of foreigners, which drove him to collect much material for a geography of the world. He later gave this material to Wei Yuan, who published an Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms (Haiguo Tuzhi 海国图志) in 1844. June 3, the day when Lin confiscated the chests of opium. Manhattan's Chatham Square, in Chinatown, contains a statue of Lin, commemorating his early struggle against drug use. Although he has in essence led the war against the debilitating drug with some initial success, with the arrest of 1,700 opium dealers and destruction of 2.6 million pounds of opium, he had been made the scapegoat for the actions leading to British retaliation, and ultimately failing to stem the tide of opium import and use in China. Nevertheless, Lin Zexu is popularly viewed as a hero of superlative conduct and national service, and whose likeness have been immortalized at various locations around the world.

In Presidential Palace scenic area, there is a Sacrificial Hall of Tao Shu and Lin Zexu. This grey brickyard is a sacrificial ancestral hall, which is the place to sacrifice two famous governors of Qing Liangjiang Area-Tao Shu and Lin Zexu. This hall was built by Zuo Zongtang in 1883 (Qing Emperor Guangxu nine year) in memory of former governors-Tao Shu and Lin Zexu.

Lin zexu was the governor of Qing Liangjiang Area in 1835-1836.In Presidential Palace scenic area, there is a showroom of the Historical Materials of Liang Jiang Viceroy in Qing Dynasty. Liang Jiang Area included Jiangxi， Jiangsu, Anhui and Shanghai at that time. The duty of Liang Jiang Viceroy was set up from 1665 to 1911，which lasted for 247 years with 86 influential viceroys.