Tianyi Pavilion Library is located beside the beautiful Yuehu (moon) Lake in the downtown district. Built during 1561-1566, it was a private library of Fan Qing (Vice Minister of Military Ministry in Ming Dynasty) and now the oldest folk library in China and even in Asia. Tianyi Pavilion Museum occupies over 26,000 square meters. It is a combination of culture, social studies, history and art. The overall layout is Tianyi Pavilion, Eastern Garden, The Chens Ancestral Hall, The Qings Branch Ancestral Hall, Calligraphy and Painting Hall and Local Chronicles Hall.

Tianyi Pavilion keeps a large collection of about 300,000 ancient books, among which 80,000 are rare copies, mostly woodcut and hand-written copies of the Song and Ming dynasties. They are rich sources of local chronicles and imperial examinations and are precious materials for the study of history, people, social customs and habits. Tianyi Pavilion Library is called the "Book City of South China".

Tianyi Pavilion is not only famous throughout in China for its book collection but also for its bizarre and delicate design of buildings and the intricate construction of gardens.

Tianyi Pavilion Library is a major historical and cultural site under state protection and also one of the major symbols of Ningbo as a historical and cultural city.