Ningbo: Tianyige & Daoist temples (appendix)宁波天一阁与道教（附）

Type

Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)

Location

China · Zhejiang · Ningbo · No. 10 Tianyi Street, Haishu District

Coordinates

29.872, 121.54 Map ↗

First built

Ming, fortieth year of Jiajing (1561) · Fan Qin's library, named for the Yijing phrase "Heaven-One generates Water"; it holds Ming-dynasty Daoist texts; local Daoist temples include Haishu's Lingyou Temple and Xiayu at Dongqian Lake in Yinzhou.

Heritage status

Tianyige, Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (1982)

Overview

The Tianyige in Ningbo is a private library built in the fortieth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming (1561) by Fan Qin, Vice Minister of War; its name is drawn from Zheng Xuan's commentary on the Yijing, "Heaven-One generates Water," water being invoked to overcome fire as a wish for the library's protection from conflagration. It is the oldest surviving private library in China, and among its holdings — Ming-dynasty local gazetteers, examination registers, and Daoist texts (including a fragmentary copy of the Wanli Supplementary Daoist Canon) — are of particular importance to the study of Daoist textual transmission. Ningbo has a long Daoist history; the Tang-dynasty Xuanmiao Temple (now gone) once stood there, and today Haishu's Lingyou Temple and the temples around Mount Tiantong in Yinzhou survive. This entry serves as an appendix, chiefly setting out the value of the Tianyige for the transmission of Daoist canonical texts.

Highlights

• Tianyige library
• Ming-dynasty Daoist texts
• Dongming Thatched Hall