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A view of Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Xinhua]

The launch ceremony of 2023"s "A Date with China" international media tour in Zhejiang province was held in Ningbo on Monday. Members of the tour, including China-based foreign media correspondents, foreign internet influencers and domestic journalists, explored Tianyi Pavilion to learn about cultural side of the city.

The Pavilion is China"s oldest surviving private library and one of the three oldest family libraries in the world, dating back as early as 1566 A.D. of the Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D. - 1644 A.D.). It used to be the private library of Fan Qin, a senior official of defense of the dynasty and now boasts as many as 300,000 plus copies of books as well as calligraphies and paintings dating back from the Song Dynasty ( 960 A.D. - 1297 A.D.)

A mahjong-themed exhibition in the pavilion tells the origin and history of the world-known intellectual game which was developed in Ningbo.

Copies of books are seen at Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Xinhua]

A mahjong-themed exhibition at Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A member of the "A Date with China" international media tour experiences a mahjong-themed exhibition at Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.[Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Members of the "A Date with China" international media tour visit Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.[Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]