Ningbo, China, I’m back！

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This morning I suddenly realized that I was no longer the same person as when I began this journey in Ningbo. My China experience was beyond expectation, despite this not being my first visit to the country or city. In fact, every visit to China offers a new journey, a new experience, a new feeling.



This time my journey led me to Tianyi Pavilion and its surrounding gardens. If you don’t know about the Tianyi Pavilion, you should do some research. The first private library in China, the oldest standing library in Asia， one of the world’s three most treasured historic libraries.



As an outsider to Chinese culture， this was my first time to be truly humbled, to truly appreciate the value of history as I viewed where history itself was preserved through millennia.



In 1982, Tianyi was established by the National Tourism Bureau as a national cultural relic, rated AAAA, the highest degree of preservation and respect for any Chinese tourist attraction. Just from walking to the main gate and seeing the bold characters “南国书城” （“The South’s City of Books”）you can appreciate the magnitude this place and its stories upheld.



Around the extensive property I quickly realized Tianyi Pavilion is not just a collection of relics and ancient books but an exquisitely designed garden, full of foliage and boundless trees. This timeless place and its ageless quiet have preserved not just the written history but the intricate layers of Chinese culture in its architecture, landscape, and design.



Leaving the Tianyi Pavilion building I arrived at the Moon lLake park. Nearby Tianyi Pavilion, a local guide explaind how the Ningbo Municipal Government made vast efforts to maintain the integrity of the Buddhist Temple Guandi while developing a modern center of commerce adjacent to the historic structures.



After the tour of Tianyi Pavilion and nearby sites, I retreated to nearby coffee shop to reflect on the day’s experience. Another visitor to the coffee shop suggested stopping by the Nantang Old Street for an evening. There I found the hustle bustle of a lively Ningbo, full of people strolling and enjoying a cool summer night.



The street shops lit up the night and filled the air with the buzz of entertainment. Although a foreigner in China and Ningbo, the place has taken a step dearer to me today. Hopefully this memoir can share this sentiment.

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