Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai
Yuyuan Garden is located in the center of Shanghai's Old City, not far from the Bund. With a total area of less than 5 acres, it has more than 40 attractions in the inner and outer gardens, both built in the Ming Dynasty classical style.
The garden is believed to be built in the Ming Dynasty more than 400 years ago. Built in traditional Chinese style with numerous rock and tree garden areas, ponds, dragon-lined walls and numerous doorways and zigzagging bridges separating the various garden areas and pavilions.
The garden covers a significant space and include a few halls, springs and other buildings of interest and cultural relics including century-old furniture, calligraphy and paintings of famous artists,clay sculptures and brick carvings, some inscriptions and couplets. One of the highlights in the garden is the Exquisite Jade Rock. It is a 5-ton porous, beautifully shaped grotesque rock which is said to be carried from Tia lake in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. The rock is characterized by its wrinkled appearance, slender shape, translucent nature and numerous holes eroded by water. An interesting legend goes that the rock was found some 1000 years ago and it was originally one of the Emperor Huizong's private collections before it found its way in the Yuyuan Garden.
The exquisite layout, beautiful scenery, and the artistic style of the garden architecture have made the garden one of the highlights in Shanghai. The surrounding bazaar area provides good shopping opportunity, where traditional Chinese products and gold and jewels are available on sale.
