![Ningbo Tianyige 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Ningbo_Tianyige_2013.07.28_09-23-22.jpg)
The Tianyi Ge (), translated as Tianyi Pavilion or Tianyi Chamber, is a library and garden located in
Ningbo
Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
,
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...
Province,
China.
Founded in 1561 by
Fan Qin during the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
, it is the oldest existing private library in China. At its peak, it boasted a collection of 70,000 volume of antique books.
The name ''Tian Yi'' refers to the concept of cosmic unity first described in a
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
commentary to the ''
Book of Changes
The ''I Ching'' or ''Yi Jing'' (, ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. Originally a divination manual in the Western Zho ...
''. In
Chinese alchemy
Chinese alchemy is an ancient Chinese scientific and technological approach to alchemy, a part of the larger tradition of Taoist / Daoist body-spirit cultivation developed from the traditional Chinese understanding of medicine and the body. Acc ...
''Tianyi'' is linked to the element of water, thus it was believed by providing a watery name would protect the library against fire damage.
The
Qianlong Emperor of the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
visited Tianyi Ge, and ordered officials to draw schematics of Tianyi Ge's building plan and book cases as prototype to build several imperial libraries including
Wenyuan Ge in the Forbidden City, and
Wenjin Ge
The Wenjin Ge (; Manchu: ''šu dogon asari'') is a former imperial library built in 1773 by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty inside the Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde, China. A copy of the '' Siku Quanshu'' was originally stored ...
in the
Chengde Mountain Resort
Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde (; Manchu: ''Halhūn be jailara gurung''), is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens situated in the Shuangqiao District of Chengde in northeastern Hebei province, northern China, about 225 km northea ...
to house the ''
Siku Quanshu'' encyclopedia.
After the
Second Opium War, the British took many books from the libraries collection of geography and history texts. These losses were followed by further thefts by local thieves. By 1940, the collection dwindled to less than 20,000 volumes. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to governmental effort and donations by private collectors, the collection recovered somewhat to about 30,000 volumes, mostly rare antique Ming dynasty printed and hand copied volumes.
In 1982, Tianyi Ge was established by the Chinese authorities as a National Heritage Site. The Qin Family Drama Stage is also located in the complex.
The walls were specially constructed to prevent fire.
Background
Technical improvements in paper production
Cheap bamboo papermaking. The bamboo paper is made from pulpy bamboo shoots (
Phyllostachys aurea
''Phyllostachys aurea'' is a species of bamboo, and is of the 'running bamboo' type, belonging to the diverse Bambuseae tribe. It is native to Fujian and Zhejiang in China. It is commonly known by the names fishpole bamboo, golden bamboo, monk' ...
), a widely planted plant in China that has been a major source of papermaking fibers since the 8th century. Paper is traditionally made using natural materials, hand tools, utensils and naturally occurring reagents. This technology had further improved in the
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
.
Song Yingxing
Song Yingxing (Traditional Chinese: 宋應星; Simplified Chinese: 宋应星; Wade Giles: Sung Ying-Hsing; 1587-1666 AD) was a Chinese scientist and encyclopedist who lived during the late Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). He was the author of ''Tian ...
(1587–1666 AD) documented the work rolled up by the gradual process of this manufacture in his book,“
Tian Gung Kai Wu (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature)”
Woodblock printing (wood engraving)
Since the
typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), ...
invention of movable type printing in the
Song Dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
of China, printing technology had continued to develop. In the late Yuan Dynasty,
Wang Zhen invented wooden printing. Compared with muddy characters, the resistance of wood type to external forces was better. By the Ming dynasty, printing technology reached another peak. Chinese printers were able to produce illustrations of various colors, displaying various shades of colors and contrasting colors, imitating the hands of Chinese masters of calligraphy and painting. At the time, the artists' printers discovered and developed this technology, adding a strong color to their books
Cultural expansion and social transformation in the 15th century
The development of urbanization that began gradually in the
Song Dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
has begun to take shape in the
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
, and commercialization and the sprouting of capitalism also appeared in the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, the literacy rate and educational development have also been further improved during the Ming dynasty.
The increasing availability and low cost of books had promoted the popularity of literacy. The examination exam had been canceled since the
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fift ...
(1271–1368 AD) and had ushered in a new climax in the Ming Dynasty. The examination scale was increasing. Publishers responded to the growing number of examination candidates to print brochures. Successful model exams were popular and widely available. A wide variety of books, ranging from cheap versions of popular novels to expensive reprints of classics have a wealth of content. The novels of the Ming and
Qing dynasties
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
represented the pinnacle of Chinese classical novels. Three of the four famous novels in China were completed and widely circulated in the Ming Dynasty. From another perspective, it also illustrated the importance and prosperity of culture and books received in the
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
. The possession of books increasingly tended to define social status. Collection books had also gained a powerful boost from publishing. As the books became cheaper, the number and scale of private libraries grew during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. A collection of several thousand ''juan'' (bound chapters or volumes) were considered worthy of respect, and 10,000 ''juan'' (equivalent to one thousand titles) were significant. Libraries with about 30,000 ''juan'' were not uncommon. On
Fan Qin's death (1585 AD), Tianyi Pavilion contained over 70 thousand ''juan'', with several thousand titles.
Introduction
Position and the spatial distribution
Tianyi Pavilion Historic District is located in the middle and western part of the historical street of Yuehu West Street in the old city of
Ningbo
Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
. In the cultural undertakings of the feudal Chinese in the Ming Dynasty, Wen Yuan's "
Tiangong Parterre" has been incorporated into Tianyi Pavilion and transformed into "East Garden" as part of the garden. Tianyi Pavilion is part of the residential area of the Fan Family and the entire area of the traditional structure of the street and the alley has disappeared. It consists of three parts: West Park, South Park and East Park.
![Tianyi Ge Garden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Tianyi_Ge_Garden.jpg)
Since 1989, the ancestral halls along the roads such as Qinjiatang, Wen's family temple, Chen family museum, and some factory buildings have been incorporated into Tianyi Pavilion and have become a showcase of traditional culture. The area of Tianyi Pavilion has reached the peak including the main body of the museum (library), the garden and the traditional architecture.
[Yan, Wei; Dong, Wei (2015) Context”Thinking of Contemporary Urban History Space under the Basis of Enlightenment of Chinese Traditional Cultural Philology: Taking West Expansion Plan of Tianyi Pavilion as An Example». International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 9(3): 925–931]
Fire prevention
Non-combustible materials were introduced into some key building components. For instance, using clay to wrap wood structures. Non-combustible masonry could be used to create partitions between two adjacent buildings and set
fire doors in certain key locations. In addition, the pool in the library could serve as a fire tank for fire protection.
[Grace Cheng, W.Y., Lo, S.M., Fang, Z. & Cheng, C.X. (2004) A view on the means of fire prevention of ancient Chinese buildings – from religious belief to practice. Structural Survey, Vol. 22 Issue: 4, pp.201–209]
Inheritance and development
![Tomb of Huang Zongxi, 2017-03-04 12](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Tomb_of_Huang_Zongxi%2C_2017-03-04_12.jpg)
In 1676, Fan Qin's descendants passed out more than one hundred kinds of books to scholars for reading. He approved the famous scholar
Huang Zongxi
Huang Zongxi (; September 24, 1610 – August 12, 1695), courtesy name Taichong (), was a Chinese naturalist, political theorist, philosopher, and soldier during the latter part of the Ming dynasty into the early part of the Qing.
Biography
Huan ...
to go upstairs to read the Tianyige library books. Huang Zongxi became the first foreigner to enter Tianyi Pavilion. Huang Zongxi prepared a bibliography for Tianyi Pavilion and writes "Records of the collection in Tianyi Pavilion".
Documented in the book of
Huang Zongxi
Huang Zongxi (; September 24, 1610 – August 12, 1695), courtesy name Taichong (), was a Chinese naturalist, political theorist, philosopher, and soldier during the latter part of the Ming dynasty into the early part of the Qing.
Biography
Huan ...
that: Fan Qin divided his family property into two parts prior, the collection of books and other family production. The eldest son volunteered to abandon the inheritance rights of other family property, and inherited more than 70,000 volumes of books collected by his father. While the Fan's descendants maintained and supplemented the Tianyige collection, they also established ethnic rules that maintain the Tianyige collection, which stipulates that the books are shared by children and grandchildren.
Tianyi Pavilion thus increased its visibility among scholars. Since then, Tianyi Pavilion had gradually ended its external closure and is open to famous scholars, although there were not many scholars who had obtained this opportunity.
Update and preservation
1933–1934: Tianyi Pavilion was restored and refurbished, and the front and back yards of the library were added.
1982: Newly built a room for stacking cargo. Tianyi Pavilion experienced a new period of expansion. It is considered as a cultural heritage site that has been under national protection.
Gallery
Image:Tian Yi Chamber Library.jpg, Tianyi Chamber library
File:Ningbo Tianyige 2013.07.28 08-25-22.jpg, The Zhuangyuan Hall located within the Tianyi Ge compound
File:Ningbo Tianyige 2013.07.28 09-02-25.jpg, The Zunjing Hall located within the Tianyi Ge
Image:Fan Qin.JPG, Statue of Fan Qin, the founder of the chamber
File:Ming Dynasty wood carving books in Tian Yi Chamber colllection.JPG, Ming dynasty antique books in Tianyi Chamber collection
Image:Tian Yi Chamber book case.JPG, Tianyi Chamber book case
Image:Qinshi xilou.jpg, Qin family Drama Stage
Image:Majiong museum.JPG, Majong Museum display
Image:Wen Yuan Chamber.JPG, Wenyuan Chamber Imperial Library in the Forbidden City
The Forbidden City () is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the Zhongshan Park, the sacrifi ...
, modeled after the Tianyi Chamber
See also
*
List of Chinese gardens
This is a list of Chinese-style gardens both within China and elsewhere in the world.
Greater China
This list is organized by region within the Greater China region, roughly following the structure laid out by Maggie Keswick in ''The Chinese Gar ...
References
{{Authority control
Libraries in Zhejiang
Buildings and structures in Ningbo
Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Zhejiang
1561 establishments in China
Ming dynasty architecture