Shanghai Travel: Exploring the Renowned Classical Garden Yuyuan (with photos)

**Shanghai Yuyuan Garden and Old City God Temple: A Day of Photography and Cultural Exploration** **Duration:** 1 day **Time:** May […]

**Shanghai Yuyuan Garden and Old City God Temple: A Day of Photography and Cultural Exploration**

**Duration:** 1 day
**Time:** May
**Companions:** Friends
**Activities:** Photography, Cultural Exploration, Free Travel

**Author’s Visit to Shanghai’s Yuyuan Garden and Old City God Temple**

Published on 2020-04-12 10:21

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**Yuyuan Garden: A Tranquil Retreat in the Heart of Shanghai**

If you visit Shanghai, it is a must to see Yuyuan Garden. As a famous garden in Shanghai, although it is located in the bustling city center and covers only over 20,000 square meters, its ingenious design and intricate layout create a tranquil retreat amidst the hustle and bustle, making it a long-standing destination for tourists from home and abroad.

The author cannot recall how many times they have been to Shanghai, but their visit to Yuyuan Garden remains vivid. It was on November 13, 1992, during the ‘Fourth Shanghai TV Festival’ that the author first visited this place. Thirteen years later, on May 18, 2005, when the author visited Yuyuan Garden for the second time, they were inspired to write a travelogue to make the trip worthwhile, and thus, they happily recorded the following observations.

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**Old City God Temple: A Landmark Rich in Ethnic Characteristics**

Shanghai’s Yuyuan Garden is connected to the Old City God Temple. The Old City God Temple, filled with rich ethnic characteristics, is another famous tourist attraction in Shanghai. Among the buildings in Ming and Qing dynasties’ styles, a variety of dazzling small commodities catch the eye, and the enthusiastic cries of vendors are incessant.

The snacks at the Old City God Temple have a long history and are well-known. At lunchtime, the snack plaza in He Feng Tower is almost full, with Cantonese steamed dishes, crab paste pan-fried buns, three-delicacy bean skin, gluten noodles, spicy crab, skewered barbecue, and various other specialty snacks totaling up to 500 types, all sold in a self-service format, which is very convenient.

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**Jiuqu Bridge and Lake Heart Pavilion: Symbols of Shanghai**

Therefore, when visiting Yuyuan Garden, one must first pass through several bustling commercial streets before discovering a serene and beautiful village. The elegant and unique Jiuqu Bridge in front of Yuyuan Garden, accompanied by the Lake Heart Pavilion, has become one of the symbols of Shanghai. Tourists walk on the bridge, turning and winding, moving and changing scenes.

Why is the curved bridge named ‘Jiuqu’ which means nine bends? It is understood that according to traditional Chinese customs, nine is the highest odd number and signifies good fortune, hence the name ‘Jiuqu Bridge’ was chosen for its auspicious meaning. There are also folk sayings circulating such as ‘Children walk Jiuqu, luck lasts long; students walk Jiuqu, scores ninety-nine; couples walk Jiuqu, love lasts forever; elders walk Jiuqu, live to ninety-nine.’

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**Yuyuan Garden: A Delight for the Senses**

Entering Yuyuan Garden, the unique and beautiful scenery of the Jiangnan garden delights visitors. Historical records show that the Ming Dynasty Yuyuan Garden was an important traditional tourist destination in Shanghai, known for its ‘strange and beautiful scenery surpassing the southeast.’

The garden was first built in 1559 (the 38th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty) by Pan Yunduan, a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty and a native of Shanghai who served as the administrative commissioner of Sichuan Province. It has the meaning of ‘pleasing one’s parents.’ Initially covering an area of more than 70 mu, it was once extremely prosperous. After several wars, there are still more than 30 mu remaining.

The layout in the garden is exquisite and the scenery is pleasant. Pavilions, terraces and towers are scattered in an orderly manner. Winding corridors and cloisters set off each other. The pool water surrounds and is embraced by artificial hills. Rare flowers and trees compete with exotic stones, fully demonstrating the style of a ‘famous Jiangnan garden.’ It also preserves the site of the famous uprising of the ‘Small Sword Society’ in Shanghai in the Qing Dynasty.

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**Listening to the Waves Pavilion and the Dragon Wall**

In Yu Garden, there is a quite famous large artificial hill, about 10 meters high, built with about 2,000 tons of yellow stones from Wukang, Zhejiang Province. This is the creation of Zhang Nanyang, a master gardener in the Ming Dynasty. The natural piles of stubborn stones form overlapping peaks and deep valleys and caves, making tourists feel as if they have entered the deep mountains. It can be viewed from a distance and up close.

TheIn ancient China, the dragon was a symbol of feudal emperors and could not be casually used as decoration on buildings. When the Dragon Wall was built in Yu Garden, it was already the late Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the ‘dragon’ only has three or four claws to avoid the suspicion of the ‘five-clawed golden dragon’.

The ‘Jade Exquisite’ in front of Yuhua Hall is one of the three famous stones in Jiangnan and also a treasure in Yu Garden. The ancients evaluated the quality of stones by four criteria: wrinkled, leaky, transparent, and slender. Jade Exquisite is excellent in all four aspects. In terms of ‘transparency’ and ‘leakiness’, it is the best in the country and renowned at home and abroad.

There are many brick carvings and clay sculptures in Yu Garden. They are not only of long history but also very exquisite.

There are also a large number of famous trees and ancient trees in Yu Garden. There are more than thirty ancient trees over a hundred years old. The oldest tree in the garden is the ginkgo tree in front of Wanhualou, which is more than 400 years old.

When the contemporary great poet Guo Moruo visited Yu Garden in 1961, he wrote the poem: ‘The exquisite jade fortress is as heavy as a thousand jun. The winding pavilions and towers are visited by people of all surnames. Sitting here makes the lakes and mountains more colorful. Yu Garden has a long history that lasts for thousands of years.’

As a national key cultural relic protection unit, the management office of Shanghai Yu Garden has always attached great importance to the restoration and protection of this classical garden scenic spot and historical site. The reporter saw that some scenic spots like the ‘ancient stage’ in Yu Garden are still under renovation.

Time flies. Fifteen years have passed in a blink of an eye. The reporter believes that if one comes again now, one will definitely see a Yu Garden with an even more perfect scenery.

(Photos and Text: Feng Ganyong)