Yu Garden, Shanghai 上海豫園
- Completed in 1577
- Destroyed during Opium War
- Close to the Bund
- Amazing pavilions, ponds, passage ways
- Entered via a winding, narrow bazaar
- Located close to central Shanghai
Yu Garden (also known as Yuyuan Garden) is Shanghai's best known public garden.
History
It was completed in 1577 by Pan Yunduan, a government official during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Like Shanghai, the garden has seen its fortunes wax and wane. With the decline of the Pan family, the garden and grounds became run down in the late Ming period. It was purchased in 1760 by local merchants who spent decades refurbishing it.
During the Opium War, the Garden was badly damaged by French forces in the 1840's. The current Garden was most recently restored in the 1950's.
Yu Garden is roughly five acres in size. In that relatively small space, it contains many pavilions, ponds, key-hole gates, clipped, manicured bushes, and temple-like structures. It is packed with tourists and tour groups --but well worth the trip.
Shopping
You enter via a shopping bazaar from Fuyou Road. The bazaar is narrow and teeming with tourists and locals. The market area is filled with shops selling trinkets and food.
The lanterns and splash of red everywhere will alert you that you have come to the right place. Pickpockets are rumored to frequent the area. The reconstructed shop buildings are modelled after Qing and Ming dynasty structures and house modern restaurants, fast food joints and antique and souvenir stores.
During an early March visit, the many plum trees were in bloom. The garden is open year round.
Yu Garden Access
218 Anren Lu
Tel: 021/6326-0830
Admission Fee: CNY 40
Opening Hours: 8:30 to 17:00
Subway Stop: Huanpi Road on Line 1, about 15 minutes on foot; or roughly the same distance from the Bund.
Book Hotel Accommodation in Shanghai China
If you wish to stay in Shanghai here are several recommended options. The five-star The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi is a luxurious choice with a spa, an indoor pool and several stylish restaurants.
Lanson Place Jinlin Tiandi Residence Shanghai offers apartments with a balcony, cable TV and a modern kitchen.
The Sukhothai Shanghai is another five-star property with a bar, a fitness center, and two fine restaurants.
The Okura Garden Hotel Shanghai, also five-star, boasts large landscaped gardens, five restaurants, an indoor pool and a tennis court.
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