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Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan. Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age.

In the 400 years of its existence, Yuyuan Garden had undergone many changes. During the late Ming Dynasty, it became very dilapidated with the decline of Pan's family. In 1760, some rich merchants bought Yuyuan Garden and spent more than 20 years reconstructing the buildings. During the Opium War of the 19th century, Yuyuan Garden was severely damaged. The Yuyuan Garden you see today is the result of a five year restoration project which began in 1956. The garden was open to the public in September, 1961.

Yuyuan Garden occupies an area of 20,000 square meters (about five acres). However, the small size is not a representative of the attractions of the garden. The pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters all have unique characteristics. There are six main scenic areas in the garden: Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Hall, Yuhua Hall and the Inner Garden. Each area features several scenic spots within its borders.

Upon entering the garden, you will encounter a rockery, which is called the Great Rockery. With a height of 14 meters (about 50 feet), it is the largest as well as the oldest rockery in the southern region of the Yangtze River. On the top of the rockery, you can get a bird's eye view of the garden. Cuixiu Hall sits at the foot of the rockery. It is a quiet and elegant place surrounded by old trees and beautiful flowers. Visitors will find curio shops in the Cuixiu Hall.

Sansui Hall was built in 1760 and was originally used to entertain guests. Later it became a place to hold ceremonies for the gentlemen and bookmen. With a height of nine meters (about 30 feet) and featuring five halls, it is the largest and most commodious structure in the garden. The name Sansui is derived from the book History of the later Han Dynasty, and means 'propitious' and 'lucky'.

Wandering in the area of Yule Pavilion and Wanhua Chamber, you will find pavilions, corridors, streams, courtyards as well as many other natural features. Wanhua Chamber is a delicately chased building surrounded by derious cloisters. Spring bamboos grow beside the cloisters. In front of Wanhua Chamber, there are two old trees. One is a maidenhair tree which is 21 meters tall (about 70 feet).It is said that the tree was planted by the host of the garden 400 years ago.

The Dianchun Hall area is located east of Wanhua Chamber, and includes Hexu Hall, Relic Hall, Ancient Well Pavilion, and the Acting-and-Sing Stage. Dianchun Hall was once the headquarters of Xiaodao Hui, a revolted group who fought against the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) during 1853-1855. The coins made by Xiaodao Hui and the bulletins they proclaimed are currently displayed in the hall.

The true treasure of Yuyuan Garden is the Exquisite Jade Rock. Located across from Yuhua Hall, it is one of the three famous rocks in the southern region of the Yangtze River. (The other two are Duanyun Feng in Suzhou and Zhouyun Feng in Hangzhou.) The rock is 3.3 meters (about 10.8 feet) in height and has 72 holes. What is interesting about this rock is that if you burn a joss stick just below the rock, the smoke will magically float out from all of the holes. Similarly, when you pour water into the rock from top, the water will flow out from each hole creating a spectacular sight to see. Pan Yunduan was very fond of the Exquisite Jade Rock, and he built Yuhua Hall facing the rock so it was convenient to sit in the hall and admire it. The furnishings in the hall were made of top grade rosewood of the Ming Dynasty, appearing both natural and graceful.

The Inner Garden was a separate garden built in 1709, but is now a part of Yuyuan Garden in the south. The Inner Garden is compact and exquisite, and the rocks, pavilions, ornamental ponds and flower walls offer some of the most attractive sceneries in Yuyuan Garden.

This is the eastern part of Yu Yuan Garden. It was leveled to the ground after the Opium War but has recently been restored. Following the Ming Dynasty-styled "Spring Corridor" flanked by green bamboo, visitors will see the Huijing (Scenery Gathering) Tower, the centre of one of the three scenic sections in the eastern part. The tower, built in 1870, commands an excellent view of the whole garden. The Nine-Lion Study, overlooking the HuijingTower, was erected in 1959.

Visitors may stop in front of the tower and enjoy the elegance of the pavilion in the distance. Or they may cross the stone bridge and follow the stone path leading to it. Ascending the pavilion, they may catch sight of the lotus in the pond or appreciate the tranquility of the pavilion tucked away admist ancient trees. Beside a rockery stands another pavilion called Liushang (Toasting) Pavilion. Its shadows are thrown onto the pond. It is recorded that on March 3 of the lunar calendar ever year, men of letters in Shanghai would come here and compose poems over a glass of wine like Wang Xizhi and his friends did in Lan Pavilion.

Next to the Liushang Pavilion is a three-cornered stone bridge clinging to the water. The water surface, the bridge, trees, halls and towers form a staircase. Walking on the bridge, one feels like tiptoeing on the water.

On the far end of the bridge is a wall with a moon-shaped door. The words "Yinyu" or "leading to the jade" are above the door. He grotesquely-shaped huge rock behind the door will arouse visitors' curiosity. You will hastily enter the next scenic section ......the Exquisite Jade Stone.

Exquisite Jade Stone

Once entering this section, you will find yourself in a world of "jade". The huge rock, the Jade Magnificence Hall, the beautiful rockery peak and the wonderful corridor all contain in their names the Chinese word "yu" or jade. Even the Yulan

(magnolia) Shanghai city's tree - newly planted in front of the hall - means "white jade orchid" in Chinese.

The 3.3-meter-high Exquisite Jade Stone is a rare treasure and, actually, one of the three best in China. It was one of the many valuable rocks which should have been sent to the Northern Song Dynasty Emperor, Huizong, a rock fan. But it got lost while being transported from the south to the northern capital Kaifeng. It finally ended up in a private garden in Shanghai's Sanlintang, east of the HuangpuRiver. The owner, a local official, when marrying his daughter to the younger brother of Yunduan Pan, presented the rock to his son-in-law as a dowry.

The rock is noted for its slender shape, translucent nature, wrinkled surface and numerous holes, 72 in all. Water poured on the top drips down through the holes, while smoke from incense sticks burned below coils up through them.

The Jade Magnificence Hall was used as the study of Yunduan Pan. It is said that Pan would come to the hall every day and look for a long time at the Exquisite Jade Stone. He thus felt delighted and was inspired to write. The hall has been restored, with ancient books, writing brushes and an ink stone on display.

Jiyu Peak used to be in the eastern part of the garden. After the damage done to this part, some remains of JiyuPeak lay for a long time by the roadside. In 1956, Chen Congzhou, an eminent architect and professor at Tongji University in Shanghai, discovered them. They were moved to the present site during the recent renovation. "Jiyu" means piling up of numerous pieces of beautiful jade.

The Jiyu Corridor, which is over 100 meters long, was built in the style of the Ming Dynasty. It is the longest water-side corridor in China. It is so called because JiyuPeak stands on it. Added to it are some stone tablets, bearing important data about the garden. This is considered by Chen as valuable "jade" in the garden. To the far north of the Jiyu Corridor is another rockery hill. Designed by Professor Chen's disciple, Zhang Jianhua, the hill is characterized by its caves, winding paths, steep cliffs and flowing streams. It matches wonderfully well with the other 12-metre-high rockery hill before Yangshan Hall.

To the west of the Jade Magnificence Hall is the MoonTower. The name aptly implies that the jade is as bright as the moon. Ascending the tower on the 15th night of August of the Chinese lunar calendar, people will enjoy two bright moons - one in the sky and the other reflected on the pond below. The MoonTower is, actually, the upper part of a two-storied structure built by a pond in 1883. Below the "MoonTower" is Qi Zao Hall, an ideal place for enjoying the beautiful lotus in the pond. There are sixteen screen doors in the winding corridor in front of Qi Zao Hall. On each of them there is a carved picture of ploughing and weaving. On the eaves of the hall, there are many Chinese characters of "longevity" carved out of wood.

They are called "hundred-longevity map" with distinct national features.

On the eastern wall is another brick carving "GuangHanPalace". It is a palace in

the moon according to a legend. The lady in the middle of the brick carving is Chang E, known as the Moon Goddess. Chang E flew to the moon after swallowing an elixir of immortality stolen from her husband, Hou Yi, who got it from Xi Wangmu (Heavenly Empress) of the KunlunMountains as a reward for shooting down nine suns in the sky. Wu Gang is another legendary figure on the moon. As he made some serious mistakes while studying under a deity, he was ordered to fell a cassia tree growing on the moon. Every time Wu Guang raises his axe, the cut he has just made grows over, so he must go on chopping for eternity.

The compound in front is in the shape of a square jar. There, you will find a plaque with the words "Entering Heaven-like Jar", meaning entering the fairyland on earth. There is a legend passed down from the Han Dynasty. Once upon a time, there was an old man, a pharmacy owner, crawling into one of the jars of his shop after closing time. He asked the old man to take him along. Once he entered the jar, he discovered a lot of dishes and wine. So, the two got down to a feast and enjoyed the food and wine so much that they felt as if they had entered a heaven of peace. "Entering Heaven-like Jar" means going on a drinking spree and throwing to the four winds all the vexations of life.

To the south of the Exquisite Jade Stone are the Screen Wall and the CoilingDragonBridge. Both are new additions built in the Ming style. Carved in the wall are the four Chinese words "Huan Zhong Da Kuai", meaning "happiness under heaven". What is now one of the exits of the garden used to be the entrance. Once Mr. Pan entered the garden, he would enjoy the "worldly happiness" first, and then drink in the rest of the beauties in the garden.

The eastern part of Yu Yuan Garden, only 0.5 hectare in size, has ponds taking up 60 per cent of the total area. The halls, pavilions, chambers and bridges and their reflections on the water contrast wonderfully with each other, making the area look much larger.

The Inner Garden

Here we are in the InnerGarden. Formerly the back garden of the CityGodTemple, it was reconstructed in 1709. This typical Qing Dynasty-styled garden only covers 0.14 hectares but is exquisitely and tastefully laid out. How apt it is to call this a garden within a garden!

Here is the Hall of Serenity, a major structure in the InnerGarden.

If you stand in front of the hall and quietly look at the rocks opposite, you will, again, find that many of them are shaped like animals.

Two stone lions squat on both sides of the hall. Both the lions and the small balls in their mouths are carved out of stone. There are some sculptures on the roof of the hall. The one on the left is Yue Fei, a famous general of the Song Dynasty. To this day, people still speak highly of him for his meritorious deeds of resisting the Jin invaders.

This is the Nine-Dragon Pool built with Taihu rocks. There are actually only four dragons carved on the rocks, but with their reflections on the water and the pool itself in the shape of a dragon, visitors do find nine dragons. This brick carving "Guo Ziyi Being Congratulated on his Centenary Birthday" is a Qing Dynasty product, going back 300 years. A general of the Tang Dynasty, Guo Ziyi suppressed the rebellious minister An Leshan and later drove away the invading enemy. He was once looked upon as a symbol of happiness, fortune and longevity.

This is the sleeping dragon, the last of the five dragons in the garden. It is carved out of clay while the scales of the other four dragons are made of tiles. On top of the rockery hill stands a two-storied pavilion. Stopping here for a brief rest, you may enjoy the beautiful views around, thus feeling delighted. This is, actually, a stage built in the Qing style with exquisite carvings and elaborate decorations. One of the places for entertainment in ancient China, it is the oldest and largest stage preserved in perfect conditions in Shanghai. It is built in two stories and audiences may watch the performances on both floors.