Kong China Temple dedicated. It is the first "high rise" temple due to land shortages. May 27–28: Gordon B. Hinckley visits mainland China, the first LDS Church president to do so. June 29: Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the LDS Church, receives the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement. December 9: Launch of lds.org, the official LDS Church website. Indian Placement Program ends. 1997 April 5: Area authorities are to be ordained Seventies and organized into regional Third, Fourth, and Fifth Quorums of Seventy. June 1: The St. Louis Missouri Temple is dedicated and becomes the church's 50th operating temple. July 1: Hong Kong is transferred to the People's Republic of China. This makes the Hong Kong China Temple the first temple on PRC territory (although there are still heavy restrictions on the church in other parts of China). Due to the disintegration of East Germany, it is the only temple in a Communist run country. July 24: The sesquicentennial of the arrival of Mormon Pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley is celebrated, including an overland wagon train reenactment across the Mormon Trail, the opening of a new Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters, Nebraska, conferences and celebrations throughout the church, and a large scale media campaign by the church's Public Affairs Department. August 11: Gladys Knight, the famous American soul singer, converts to the LDS Church. October 4: New plan to build small temples in remote areas is announced by Gordon B. Hinckley in General Conference. October 23: The film Orgazmo, a sex-comedy about an LDS missionary, gains theatrical release. November: Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) founded November: LDS Church membership surpasses ten million. November 2: The Vernal Utah Temple is dedicated; it is the first temple to utilize a previously existing building. 1998 January 4: New curriculum for Teachings of Presidents of the Church is used for Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society classes, beginning with Brigham Young. March 26–27: The Grandin Print Shop and rebuilt Smith Family Farm replica are dedicated in Palmyra, New York. April 5: 30 new small temples are announced by Gordon B. Hinckley at General Conference, for a total of 100 by the end of 2000. April 26: Gordon B. Hinckley addresses 20,000 church members gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York City. July 20: Plans for Kyiv (Kiev) Ukraine Temple announced, the first in the former Soviet Union.