Yuyuan Garden

Introducing Yuyuan Garden
Shanghai Yuyuan Garden, located in the center of the Old City next to the Chenghuangmiao in the city, is considered one of the most lavish and finest Chinese gardens in the region. Yuyuan Garden is a maze of pavilions, elaborate rockeries, arched bridges, and goldfish ponds, all encircled by an undulating dragon wall. Occupying an area of 20,000 square meters (about five acres), it nevertheless appears quite expansive, with room for 30 pavilions.

Yuyuan Garden Fast Facts
• Chinese Name: Yuyuan 豫园
• Best Time to Visit: March to November
• Recommended Visiting Hours: About 2 to 3 hours
• Things to Do: Photography, Architecture, Chinese Culture and History
• Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 08:45-16:45
• Entrance Fee: ¥40/person from Apr to Jun & Sep to Nov; ¥30/person from Jul to Aug & Dec to Mar
• Address: No.279 Yuyuan Old Street, Huangpu District, Shanghai

What to expect at Yuyuan Garden

History of Yuyuan Garden
Shanghai Yuyuan Garden was reportedly first established in 1559 as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost 20 years building a garden to please his father Pan En, a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty, during his father’s old age. Over the years, Shanghai Yuyuan Garden fell into disrepair until about 1760 when bought by merchants, then suffered extensive damage in the 19th century. In 1842, during the Opium Wars, the British army occupied the Town God Temple for five days. During the Taiping Rebellion Shanghai Yuyuan Garden was occupied by imperial troops, and damaged again by the Japanese in 1942. Shanghai Yuyuan Garden was repaired by the Shanghai government from 1956-1961, opened to the public in 1961, and declared a national monument in 1982.

Attractions of Yuyuan Garden
Today, Yuyuan Garden is divided into six general areas laid out in the Suzhou style:
•  Grand Rockery – rockery made of huangshi stone (12 m high), featuring peaks, cliffs, winding caves and gorges. This scenery in Shanghai Yuyuan Garden was possibly created by Zhang Nanyang in the Ming Dynasty. This area also contains the Sansui (Three Corn Ears} Hall.
•  Heralding Spring Hall (Dianchun) – built in 1820, the first year of the Emperor Daoguang’s reign. From September 1853 to February 1855, it served as the base of the Society of Little Swords (Xiaodao Hui).
•  Inner Garden – rockeries, ponds, pavilions, and towers, first laid out in 1709 and more recently recreated in 1956 by combining its east and west gardens.
•  Jade Magnificence Hall (Yuhua) – furnished with rosewood pieces from the Ming Dynasty.
•  Lotus Pool – with a zigzag bridge and mid-lake pavilion.
•  Ten Thousand-Flower Tower (Wanhua)
Shanghai Yuyuan Garden areas are separated by “dragon walls” with undulating gray tiled ridges, each terminating in a dragon’s head.

How to get to Yuyuan Garden

By Metro
• Take Metro Line 10 and get off at Yuyuan Station (Exit 1).

By Bus
• Take bus No. 11, 26, 64, 304, 805, 920, 926, or 930 and get off at Xinbeimen Station.
• Take Sightseeing Line 1 and get off at Chenghuangmiao Yuyuan Station.

Additional travel advice on Yuyuan Garden
• The garden is closed on Monday expect Chinese public holidays.
• Please pay attention to the safety warning signs and watch your steps touring in the garden.
• Do no tease or feed wild life in the garden.
• Visitors are not allowed to bring pets into the garden, except guide dogs