Yu Yuan ~ a Garden Oasis in the Center of Shanghai's Old City
Huangpu
Shanghai China
2014

Yu Garden is believed to have been built in the Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years ago. The exquisite layout, beautiful scenery, and the artistic style of the garden architecture have made the garden one of the highlights of Shanghai.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Garden


Yu Garden or Yuyuan Garden is an extensive Chinese garden located beside the City God Temple in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai at Huangpu District, Shanghai. It abuts the Yuyuan Tourist Mart, the Huxinting Teahouse and the Yu Garden Bazaar.

https://www.chinahighlights.com/shanghai/attraction/yuyuan-garden.htm

What to See in Yu Garden
Yu Garden is composed of six scenic areas: Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Hall, Yuhua Hall, and the Inner Garden.
The highlights of the garden are: classical Chinese architecture, exquisite sculptures and carvings, and the busy Yuyuan bazaar.


Classical Chinese Garden Architecture
Yu Garden was a private garden of the Pan family in the Ming Dynasty. It was the largest and most prestigious of its era in Shanghai after it was completed.
The garden is unique in its design. It perfectly blends decorative halls, elaborate pavilions, glittering pools, zigzag bridges, pagodas, archways, and impressive rockeries.
Feel relaxed as you wander through the corridors and archways, stop to gaze at the famed Exquisite Jade Rock – a 5-ton, porous, beautifully-shaped, spiky rock – or climb to the top of the Great Rockery that was built with thousands of tons of stone and has a height of 14 meters.
You can walk to the Jiu Qu Bridge (the Nine-Turn Bridge). Chinese people believe that the number nine symbolizes auspiciousness. Walking across the Jiu Qu Bridge is said to bring people good luck. The Jiu Qu Bridge leads to Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse - the oldest teahouse in Shanghai.
For those looking for a glimpse into ancient China, as reflected in movies and books, this is the place to be.


Exquisite Sculptures and Carvings
When walking in the garden, you do not just focus on the huge items like buildings and bridges, but keep your eyes on the details. Much of the garden’s beauty is in the tiny carvings and sculptures.
You will find many clay sculptures and brick carvings, calligraphic and painting works of famous artists, as well as some inscriptions and couplets.


Yuyuan Bazaar
Yuyuan Bazaar is right next to Yu Garden. It has a great number of small streets and lanes where you can find many restaurants, tea houses, and shops. It is a good place to sample some local snacks and buy some souvenirs.
The most popular local snacks are Yangchun noodles, steamed stuffed buns, fried stuffed buns, crispy fried cakes, and chop rice cakes.
In the bazaar, Yuyuan Old Street offers traditional Chinese commodities, such as Chinese lanterns, decorations, silk, antiques, arts, handicrafts, craftworks, jewels, and so much more.