Yu Garden

Yu Garden (or Yuyuan Garden) is an extensive Chinese garden located at Huangpu Qu, Shanghai Shi, next to the City God Temple in the northeast of Shanghai’s old town.

Quick facts

• Name: Yu Garden
• Location: Shanghai, China
• Type of attraction: Garden
• Built: 17th century
• Ticket price: From $5

The Yu Garden, during the Ming Dynasty, was a private garden belonging to the Pan family. After it was finished, it surpassed all others as Shanghai’s largest and most renowned building of the time.

The layout of the garden is completely original. It has the right amount of opulence and grandeur with its stunning rockeries, pagodas, pavilions, zigzag bridges, pagodas, and archways.

You can take your time as you stroll through the halls and arches, pause to admire the Exquisite Jade Rock (a 5-ton porous, finely sculpted, spiky rock), or ascend to the top of the Great Rockery (14 metres high, created with thousands of tones of stone).

You can easily reach the Nine-Turn Bridge (Jiu Qu Bridge) by foot. The number nine has special significance in Chinese culture. Good fortune is thought to await those who cross the Jiu Qu Bridge. The Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse, Shanghai’s oldest, can be reached through the Jiu Qu Bridge.

This is the place to go if you want to feel like you’ve stepped into a movie or a novel and into the world of ancient China.

As you stroll through the garden, don’t only stare at the massive structures like the buildings and bridges; instead, focus on the smaller, more intricate features. These intricate carvings and sculptures add so much to the splendor of the garden.

There are several brick carvings and clay sculptures, as well as calligraphic and painted works by well-known painters and inscriptions and couplets.

Yu Garden is conveniently located close to Yuyuan Bazaar. Numerous cafes, teahouses, and boutiques may be found in its maze of little streets and alleys. You may get a taste of the local cuisine and pick up some unique keepsakes.

Yangchun noodles, steamed stuffed buns, fried stuffed buns, crispy fried cakes, and chop rice cakes are some of the most well-liked local foods.

Traditional Chinese goods such as lanterns, decorations, silk, antiques, arts, handicrafts, craftworks, jewelry, and much more may be found in the bazaar on Yuyuan Old Street.

The greatest time to see Yu Garden is in the spring, when the trees and flowers are green and blooming.

If you are only in Shanghai for a few days, try to go to the garden during the week instead of the weekend to avoid the crowds.

Visit the garden during the Spring Festival to see the stunning dragon and phoenix lanterns if you don’t mind the crowds.

The Yu Garden is an ancient and culturally significant part of China. The garden has minimal English-language signs and introductions. It’s smart to hire a guide when you travel. The origins and guiding principles of Yu Garden’s aesthetic can perhaps pique your interest.

It is a wonderful and tranquil place in Shanghai and a must to visit when you are visiting the city.

Interesting facts about Yu Garden

Here are some interesting facts about this attraction:

• Yu Garden consists of six areas: Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Hall, Yuhua Hall, and the Inner Garden.
• It has massive Jade Rock inside – a 5-ton, porous, beautifully-shaped, spiky rock
• Walking across the Jiu Qu Bridge in Yu Garden is believed to bring good luck

Read more interesting facts about Yu Garden