Ningbo History Museum

The Ningbo Museum is a museum in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China. It is also known as the Yinzhou Museum or the Ningbo Historic Museum. It opened on December 5, 2008, in the Yinzhou District. The museum focuses on the history and customs of the Ningbo region. Wang Shu, the first Chinese national to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2012, constructed the Ningbo Museum. As the East China Sea has played an essential part in Ningbo's history, the design is a conceptual blend of mountains, sea, and oceans. Decorations constructed from ancient tiles and bamboo incorporate features of Jiangnan dwellings into the museum design.

The first level of the museum is built as a whole, but the building begins to tilt on the second story, giving the entire structure a mountain and a boat form. This design references to Ningbo's geographical features as well as the significance of international trade in its past, making the museum a symbol of Ningbo history and culture.

The Ningbo Museum's outside wall decoration is created in two methods. Millions of tiles collected in local locations are used to embellish certain walls. This type of decorating was a traditional manner of creating a low-cost house in Ningbo before cement was introduced. Other walls are coated in cement and adorned with bamboos. According to reports, the Ningbo Museum was the first to be constructed using a substantial number of recycled materials. The Ningbo Tengtou Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo used a similar décor.

Location: Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China