Tianyi Chamber

Tianyi Chamber is a library and garden located in Ningbo，Zhe jiang Province It is the oldest existing library in China，which was founded in 1561，during the peak of the Ming Dynasty.It boasted a collection of 70，000 volumes of antique books.Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty visited Tianyi Chamber，and ordered officials to draw theschematics of the building plan and book cases as prototype to build several imperial libraries including Wenyuan Chamber in the Forbidden City，and Wenjin Chamber in Chengde Mountain Resort.

After the Opium War，the British army and local thieves took many collections from the chamber.By 1940，the collection had been less than 20，000 volumes But with the efforts from the government and private collectors，the collection now has recovered to about 30，000 volumes.

Once you walk through the main gate of the chamber，you would almost forget that youare in Ningbo，a modern city full of skyscrapers and modern buildings.The atmosphere here is relaxing and surely helps visitors to understand the value of the place itself Behind the magnificent gardens，red lanterns，and decorated walls，you can find an incredible collection of ancient books.The building is a mansion with a beautiful garden of a Chinese scholar.Some famous ancient Chinese books from the scholar’s private collection are exhibited in the windows.Although the focus is made on the great book collection，for non-Chinese visitors，it would be interesting to visit the place for its gardens，mah jong exposition，and the mansion itself.It is a good choice to spend an hour or two to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

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