Tianyi Pavilion (Tianyi Ge Library)

天一阁

Built in the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty by Fan Qin, Right Vice Minister of War, Tianyi Pavilion is Asia's oldest surviving private library. Its fire-prevention philosophy of 'Heaven generates water' shares the grounds with the Qin Family Ancestral Hall and the Mahjong Origin Museum.

Tianyi Pavilion stands on the west side of Yue Lake in Ningbo. It was built between 1561 and 1566, during the 40th to 45th years of the Jiajing reign, by Fan Qin, a retired Right Vice Minister of War. Drawing on the line 'Heaven generates water, and Earth completes it with six' from the Book of Changes, Fan built a two-story pavilion with a pool dug in front of it to guard against fire. At its peak the library held 70,000 volumes. It is China's oldest surviving private library and Asia's oldest. When the Qianlong Emperor compiled the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, he had seven imperial libraries built modeled on its layout. The Fan family's household rule, that books were never divided between generations and never left the pavilion, has become a celebrated tale. Yu Qiuyu's essay 'Wind and Rain at Tianyi Pavilion' made the library widely known. The scenic area has three parts. The Book Culture Zone includes the main Tianyi Pavilion building (visitors cannot go upstairs, but can view it from the front), Dongming Hall, the Fan family's former residence, Zunjing Pavilion and the Mingzhou Stele Forest. The Garden Leisure Zone features Tianyi Pool, rockeries and the Hundred Geese Pavilion, a popular photo spot. The Exhibition Zone includes the Qin Family Ancestral Hall and the Mahjong Origin Exhibition Hall. The Qin Family Ancestral Hall was built by Qin Jun'an, a Ningbo merchant of the Republican era. Its opera stage caisson and red-gold wood carvings are extremely ornate and represent the peak of Ningbo's 'three golds and one inlay' craftsmanship. Ningbo is regarded as the birthplace of mahjong, and the exhibition hall presents the game's history. A visit takes about 2 hours, and guided tours can be booked in advance. Admission is 30 yuan, and reservations must be made through the 'Tianyi Pavilion Museum' WeChat official account. Getting there: take Metro Line 1 to West Gate Station and walk about 10 minutes. Yuehu Park is across the street. Notes: the opera stage in the Qin Family Ancestral Hall is a must-see. Flash photography is prohibited in the garden. The Yuehu Lake area and the Tianyi Ge · Yuehu district near the west exit have cafés and bookshops.

Tianyi Pavilion (Tianyi Ge Library)

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