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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.
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.
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. 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.
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Information provided in part by: China Highlights
