Ke Zheng, who was also called the Yanhua Master, was a very active and important Buddhist monk during the region of Song Zhenzong of Northern-Song dynasty. In his life time, he has managed or participated in the construction of four pagodas; help preserve several rare Sariras such as parts of Buddha's skull and Master Xuanzang's skull etc.;rebuilt the famous Changgan Temple and its tower in Nanjing which was initially built up in the 3rd Century A.D., and opened a path for the glory of the Ming dynasty Da Bao En Temple. Ke Zheng's life-work made a significant contribution to the heritage and development of Chinese and world Buddhist culture. However, due to lack of historical data, Ke Zheng has been almost forgotten by researchers during the past. Fortunately, the archaeologists found some important evidences in 2008 from a underground room beneath the Changgan Temple's tower built by Ke Zheng. Based on these newly unearthed material as well as historical data, this paper will give a detailed account of ke Zheng's life, activities, and achievements, and conducts research on related issues, providing an in-depth research on this long forgotten eminent monk from the Northern-Song dynasty.
