Yu Garden: A World Famous Garden with Southern China Style

Famous for its exquisite sceneries, Yu Garden in Shanghai has attracted many billions of people there, including famous and renowned persons, such as Queen Elizabeth II, the former US president Bill Clinton, the former Singapore President Lee Xianlong. Why does the garden has such charming power? Go there and find it out by yourself.

Yu Garden, located in the southern part of Shanghai, covers an area of over 20,000 square meters – a famous garden with typical southern-China style. It is one of the important national culture relics under protection. Yu Garden was constructed from 1559 to 1577 (during Jiajing Period of Ming Dynasty), so it has a history of over 400 years up to now.

Originally, Yu Garden was a private garden built by Pan Yunduan, a high-rank official in Sichuan. His father, Pan En, was a high-rank official, too. At that time, Pan’s family was one of the largest and noble families in Shanghai. He built the garden for his parents, to show his filial piety. Yu (豫) means “satisfying, comfortable”. Pan meant to please his parents and let them enjoy longevity. Hence, he named the garden “Yu Garden”. Actually, during that time, the Japanese invaders caused great troubles to the people along the east coastline of China. By 1553, people in Shanghai started to enjoy a peaceful life. However, the noble families still worried about their safety. So, they built gardens with many hiding places. This is one of the features of Yu Garden.

It was totally ruined by the British and French troops during the Opium War. After it was rebuilt in 1956, it started to open to the public as a garden again. Since 1961, it has become one of the famous attractions in Shanghai. The pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters all bear unique features and characteristics. The following are the main scenic areas in Yu Garden.

The Great Rockery

After you step into the garden from the main gate, you will see a rockery, called the Great Rockery which has a height of 14 meters (about 50 feet). The Great Rockery is the largest and the oldest rockery in the southern region of China. On the top of the rockery, you can get a birdview of the garden.

Cuixiu Hall

Cuixiu Hall sits at the foot of the Great Rockery. It is a quiet place surrounded by old trees and beautiful flowers. The structure of the building is a typical Ming style garden building. It is relatively small. Nowadays, for commercial purpose, it is rented to some businessmen. However, they are only allowed to sell the things related to Yu Garden. So, you are not surprised to find curio shops in the Cuixiu Hall.