The Tieqin Tongjian Building has been renowned both domestically and internationally for a long time. It houses an extensive collection of over 100,000 volumes of ancient manuscripts, which are on par with the Haiyuan Pavilion in Liaocheng, the Bishu Ronglou in Gui’an, and the Baqian Juanlou in Qiantang, collectively known as the Four Great Private Libraries of the Qing Dynasty. The library was constructed during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than two hundred years.
Starting with its founder Qu Shaoji, five generations of the Qu family who managed the library have been indifferent to fame and fortune, taking pleasure in collecting and reading books. The second generation of the Qu family, Qu Shaoji’s son Qu Tong, was particularly fond of collecting ancient bronzes and seals, and he cherished a piece of iron zither and a bronze sword, from which the building derived its name. The existing structure consists of two stories in two sections, with the third and fourth sections being the only remaining parts and the location of the Tieqin Tongjian Building. The ancient building faces south and is a triple-eaved courtyard house with a small skywell in the middle, featuring intricate dragon motifs on the brackets, showcasing the architectural style of southern Jiangsu. At that time, the upper floors of the third and fourth sections were used for storing books, the ground floor of the third section for reading, and the ground floor of the fourth section for a family temple, which also housed ancient artifacts and stone carvings. Apart from a portion of the collection that was lost, the majority of the books were donated to the Beijing Library, Shanghai Library, and Changshu Library by the Qu family’s descendants at the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The building is open to the public from 8:00 to 16:00 all year round.Tieqin Tongjian Building
The Tieqin Tongjian Building has been renowned both domestically and internationally for a long time[...]
