Ningbo | Tianyi Pavilion Museum

Tianyi Pavilion Museum is located in Haishu District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. It is a comprehensive museum featuring book collection culture, integrating social history and art. Tianyi Pavilion is the oldest existing library in China, founded in the 45th year of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (1566), with a history of over 400 years. It is also one of the three earliest private libraries in the world. In 1982, it was announced by the State Council as a national key cultural relic protection unit. In 2008, it was listed as one of the first national ancient book key protection units and one of China's top ten historical and cultural buildings. In 2018, the Tianyi Pavilion·Yuehu Scenic Area was approved as a 5A-level scenic tourist area. Tianyi Pavilion was built under the supervision of Fan Qin, the then-retired Right Minister of War. The name of the pavilion is related to fire prevention. After seeing the Wei family's Wanjuan Building catch fire, Fan Qin conceived the idea of building a fireproof library. He accidentally found a rubbing of the inscription of the Tianyi Pool by Taoist Wu from Longhu Mountain. According to the saying "Tianyi produces water, and the earth completes it," he believed that "Tianyi" could use water to control fire. Therefore, he named the library "Tianyi Pavilion" and built the "Tianyi Pool" in front of the pavilion to store water for fire prevention. The architectural layout of Tianyi Pavilion is quite distinctive. The core is the existing Tianyi Pavilion Library, including the courtyard in front of the pavilion (rockery, Tianyi Pool, Lanting architecture), the rockery behind the pavilion, Zunjing Pavilion, and the "Mingzhou Stele Forest." The buildings are aligned from south to north on an axis. The Tianyi Pavilion Library is a two-story wooden structure with a hard mountain roof. In addition to its rich collection of books, it is also unique in fire prevention, ventilation, and moisture-proofing. The library is divided into six rooms, with firewalls built on the east and west sides. The lattice in the middle hall downstairs is decorated with many water wave patterns. Fan Qin's earliest library was named "Dongming Cottage." As his collection grew, he built Tianyi Pavilion. The collection of Tianyi Pavilion once reached more than 70,000 volumes, with local chronicles and examination records being the most precious. Historically, some of the books from Tianyi Pavilion were presented during the Qianlong period, playing an important role in the compilation of the "Siku Quanshu." Today, the Tianyi Pavilion Museum covers an area of about 34,000 square meters. In addition to the book collection area (including Dongming Cottage, Fan's former residence, Zunjing Pavilion, Mingzhou Stele Forest, Qianjin Studio, and the newly built library), there is also a garden leisure area (with Ming Pool, rockery, long corridor, stele forest, Bai'e Pavilion, Ninghui Hall, etc.), and an exhibition area (centered on the Qin Family Ancestral Hall, including Furongzhou, Wen Family Ancestral Hall, and the newly built calligraphy and painting gallery). The buildings here integrate various traditional folk crafts such as wood carving, brick carving, stone carving, gold leaf, and lacquer work, making it a masterpiece of Ningbo residential architecture. The Qin Family Ancestral Hall is a culmination of folk crafts, and the "Ningbo Historical Sites" displayed there show the historical development trajectory of Ningbo. There is also a Mahjong Museum in Tianyi Pavilion, the only museum in China themed on Mahjong. It displays various Mahjong tools, showing the evolution of Mahjong. Ticket prices: Full price ticket 30 yuan/person; university student ticket 15 yuan/person; senior ticket for 60-69 years old 15 yuan/person. Free ticket policy: Those over 70 years old with a senior certificate or other valid documents, those with a disability certificate, active military personnel with a soldier or officer certificate, and retired military personnel with a retirement certificate can get free tickets. Visiting Tianyi Pavilion, you can not only appreciate the exquisite ancient buildings and garden landscapes but also feel the rich historical and cultural atmosphere and appreciate the charm of ancient Chinese book collection culture.