Tianyi Pavilion promotes Song Dynasty culture

Members of Ningbo Reading Association read poems in Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo on June 5. [Photo by Xin Zhicheng for chinadaily.com.cn]

An activity was held in Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, Zhejiang province on June 5, during which visitors experienced the culture of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

The activity was part of a series known as "Tianyi Yedu", which was launched by the Ningbo authorities to promote traditional Chinese culture by introducing collections from the Tianyi Pavilion, one of the oldest existing ­libraries in Asia.

The activity held on Sunday focused on a stele on which 20 poems written by poets and scholars during the Song Dynasty, including Qian Gongfu, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, were engraved. 

Qian Gongfu, a politician and poet, worked in Mingzhou (present-day Ningbo) and built Zhongle Gazebo in the Moon Lake area. In 1061, he was reassigned to Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng, Henan province), but Qian never stopped missing the gazabo.

At the invitation of Qian, 14 poets wrote 20 poems about Moon Lake, which were later engraved on a stele. Though the Zhongle Gazebo has sincecollapsed, the stele is still well preserved in Tianyi Pavilion.

During the activity, members of Ningbo Reading Association read and performed the poems on the stele.

The stage was also decorated with Song Dynasty-themed paintings. Visitors also had the chance to experience traditional Chinese activities, such as flower arrangements and tea ceremony.