Jiaye Library, Private library in Nanxun District, China

Jiayetang Library is a two-storey, courtyard-style building completed in 1924 beside the Lesser Lotus Manor in Nanxun. Its 52 rooms are arranged around a square central courtyard paved with stone slabs where books were aired in summer. The ground-floor doors and windows are carved with the characters "Jiayetang cangshulou", while the upper floor bears "Xigu". A small garden with a lotus pond and Taihu-stone rockery lies to the south.

Liu Chenggan from a wealthy banking family established it in the 1920s to house his collection of rare publications spanning different Chinese dynasties. The building emerged during a period when private scholars and collectors sought to preserve important cultural works.

The name Jiayetang comes from the plaque "Qinruo Jiaye" bestowed by the last Qing emperor Puyi, not from the Liu family. Liu Chenggan, grandson of the wealthy Nanxun magnate Liu Yong, built the library in 1920–1924. Its carved ground-floor doors and windows bear the characters "Jiayetang cangshulou", while the upper floor is carved with "Xigu".

You can visit during regular opening hours, with access included through a ticket to the Nanxun Ancient Town complex. It helps to allow time for exploring the various rooms and collections, as the layout is spread across multiple spaces.

The collection contains some 150,000 woodcut plates and preserves sections of the Yongle Encyclopedia along with drafts of the imperial Siku Quanshu compilation. These materials are among the few examples where both works are found under one roof.