Tianyi Pavilion (or known as Tian Yi Ge) is the oldest private library and garden in existence in Ningbo City. Founded in 1561 in the Ming dynasty, Tianyi Pavilion occupies an area of 26,000 square meters (about 6.4 acres). It lies beside the picturesque Ming Lake in Ningbo City. The library has amassed a collection of 300,000 volumes, 80,000 of which are rare books.
The founder of this library was called Fan Qin, who had been appointed as an official in several cities around China. Having a liking for books, Fan Qin collected local annals, records of various dynasties and contemporary anthologies. Books given by Fan's friends and handwritten copies of books were an important part of the collection. The library already had 70,000 volumes at the time of his death.
Unfortunately, only 13,000 volumes remained at the time of the foundation of the PRC, because a great many of them either were expropriated by the bureaucracies, stolen or fell into decay. Recent generations were committed to the protection and enlargement of the library. In the 1950s, some books were found and some others were donated by the local book collectors.
Opening hours: 8:30-17:30
Recommended visiting time: 1 hour
Ticket: 30 RMB
Type: Library
Location: No.1 Tianyi Street, Haishu District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, China
Transportation: Take Bus No. 371, 512 and get off at Tianyige Station.