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Tianyige |
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Tianyige |
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　　 Hidden in greenery next to Moon Lake in downtown Ningbo City£¬Tianyige (The First Hall Under Heaven)has survived from more than 400 years with its history£¬unique architectural design£¬and particularly valuable collections of ancient books and texts of past dynasties£®The two-storey simple structure now houses more than 300£¬000 volumes of ancient books and manuscripts£¬among which 640 volumes are the only existing copies£¬including woodcut copies and handwritten copies of works from the Ming(1 368¡ª1 644)and Qing(1 644¡ª1911)dynasties£®
The collection is a rich,source of local chronicles and imperial examinations and precious materials for the study of history£¬people£¬and social customs and habits£®The library still stands thanks to the strict management of Fan Qin·¶ÇÕ(1506¡ª1585)£¬founder of the library£®
Born in1506£¬Fan Qin lived in the reign of Ming Emperor Jiajing(1522¡ª1566)£®Fan became an official at the age of 27 after he passed the highest imperial examination£®After that he worked in many places across the countrv£®including today¡¯s Shaanxi and Henan provinces in North China£¬Guangdong£®Guangxi and Yunnan in South China£¬and Fujian and Jiangxi in East China£®he later became the vice¡ªminister of National Defence of the Ming courtÃ÷±ø²¿ÓÒÊÌÀÉ£®But Fan Qin had a special passion for books£®Wherever he went£®he never forgot his book collection£®He paid special attention to the coilection 0f local annals£¬records of political affairs and examination papers£®He was also interested in poetry and prose engraved or printed by officials in various places around the country during the Ming Dynasty£®Fan himself liked to make copies if he had rare prints£®At the age of 55£¬he retired and began the construction of his library£®Five years later when his library was opened£¬Fan had alreadv collected more than 70£¬000 volumes£®
According to historical records£®there were at least 500 private libraries south of the Yangtze River£® The Ming Dynasty was in its heyday at the time£®But none of these libraries was as successful as Fan Qin¡¯s£®Apart from living in a stable and prosperous society£® there were at least three other criteria necessary for a successful curator of books£®He had to love books£¬be rich enough to buy books¡£and had opportunities to acquire more books£®The particular success of Fan Qin was his strict management system for the preservation of his books£®According to the rules of the library£¬the book resources belonged to all family members who should take care of them together£®Every branch of the family had a key, but they were not to unlock the library unless all branches of the family were present£®Any family member who violated the rules would not be allowed to in East China£®Such pillar industries as steel and iron£¬power generation£¬petroleum refining and petrochemicals£¬and papermaking have been formed in Ningbo£®The city is also one of the leading garment producers in China£¬with a total output that accounts for 12 per cent of the country¡¯s total£®The city is one of China¡¯s model cities in environmental protection£®which makes it an ideal place to live and work£®
Ningbo Bids for Legendary Status Ningbo£¬the birthplace of the ancient legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai£¬or butterfly lovers£¬applied on January 7£¬2003 to the United Nations to be included on the¡°World Intangible Cultural Heritage¡±list£®Scholars from the China Art Research Institute£®the China Folk Culture Society and the China Folk Art Association unanimously supported the application£®
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